The God of Peace Goes with Us
Unzu Lee
Dear friends,
Peace be with you!
The snow has melted, and the rays of warm sunshine are streaming into my room as I write this letter. Spring is upon us.
I am writing this letter from my close friend’s place in Indianapolis, where I have been since November 12, 2024. On Sundays, I worship at Faith Presbyterian Church with my friend. Celebrating the Advent Season and Christmas in a warm faith community was great. I have been singing in the church choir, and it has been very good for grounding.
I have indeed been on U.S. soil for almost four months. However, because my role is liaison, I have never left Asia in my consciousness. Regardless of where I am situated, I remain a bridge between the U.S. and the PC(USA) partners in East Asia. My sense of responsibility as a bridge is heightened when some critical events happen in Asia, and it indeed did during my time on U.S. soil.
On the night of December 3, 2024. Yoon Seok-yeol, the President of the Republic of Korea, appeared on TV and gave his televised address announcing martial law. He said, “To safeguard a liberal South Korea from the threats posed by North Korea’s communist forces and to eliminate anti-state elements plundering people’s freedom and happiness, I hereby declare emergency martial law.” In the meantime, military forces were deployed to the National Assembly and the National Election Commission.
Koreans call this kind of logic an ideology of division. This is how the antagonistic Cold War dynamics have played out repeatedly throughout the history of Korea, which remains divided since the U.S. and the former Soviet Union divided Korea into two when Japan surrendered to the Allied Forces in August 1945. One has to reckon that democracy in South Korea has been achieved against this backdrop. Once again, brave citizens of South Korea quickly gathered around the National Assembly and made way for members of the National Assembly to enter the National Assembly building so that they could take action against the decree. Within two and a half hours, 190 out of 300 members of the National Assembly gathered and voted unanimously to annul martial law. Subsequently, martial law forces withdrew from the National Assembly building, and the Presidential Office announced lifting martial law six hours after the decree was made.
The National Council of Churches in Korea (NCCK), PC(USA)’s historic partner, played a significant role in the nationwide movement demanding the Yoon Suk Yeol administration’s resignation. In the spirit of partnership, Presbyterian Peace Network for Korea (PPNK), one of the mission networks of the PC(USA), issued two statements echoing NCCK’s demands for a just and fair society, one on December 6, 2024, and the other on January 6, 2025. I invite you to read the PPNK’s statements on Blog 3 — PPNK Presbyterian Peace Network for Korea. President Yoon is currently under detention and indictment while simultaneously facing impeachment proceedings.
In January, I continued to provide staff support to PPNK, intending to offer Presbyterians a Korea Peace Journey entitled “Have You Heard Our Cries?” on October 21-30, 2025. It invites participants to hear the cries of the Korean people who have been divided and at war over 70 years, learn about the barriers to peace that the United States and others have erected and maintained, and forge relationships with peace-loving people of faith in Korea to break down the barriers and work for reconciliation and peacebuilding. Please go to www.ppnk.net to find out more about the journey. I hope some of you will consider participating in the journey.
Thank you for supporting me over the last five years of my journey in God’s mission as a Regional Liaison for East Asia. During my tenure, I worked mainly with PC(USA)’s partners in East Asia—namely, the National Council of Churches in Korea (NCCK), the Hong Kong Christian Council(HKCC), and the Hong Kong Council of the Church of Christ in China (HKCCCC). I also worked to build partnerships with other groups, such as WomenMakingPeace, PeaceMomo, Hong Kong Christian Institute, Chung Chi Divinity School, Q&A (Queer and Ally), and many more. One regret is that I have not been able to connect with the Korean Christian Federation of North Korea which is PC(USA)’s official partner, because of the travel ban to DPRK imposed on U.S. citizens by the U.S. State Department in 2017, and is still in effect.
With this letter, I bid you goodbye. This is because the Interim Unified Agency has made a difficult decision to change its approach to global ministry. The ministry area of World Mission, as we know it will no longer exist, and all mission co-workers, including myself, will conclude our services on March 24, 2025. Please be assured that this does not mean ending PC(USA)’s commitment to global engagement. PC(USA)’s commitment to global engagement will continue using a different model. You can find the Presbyterian News Service articles to learn about these changes. Please see the links below.
February 7, 2025 – The Shifting Patterns of Ecumenical Global Engagement
February 5, 2025 – Interim Unified Agency Announces Shift in Global Ministry Engagement
January 23, 2025 – A New Vision for Global Ministry
November 5, 2024 – Next Steps in Reimagining Global Mission
Thank you for your ongoing love and support of PC(USA)’s mission that we all do together in the name of Jesus Christ. We could not have done it without you! PC(USA)’s international engagement will continue through the ministry of ecumenical liaisons. Please continue to support them as generously as you have supported me. May the God of peace go with us as we journey on.
In Christ,
Unzu