YAVs for Justice and Peace
A letter from Hyeyoung Lee and Kurt Esslinger, mission co-workers serving in Korea
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Ms. Oh Eun-joo, our guide from Soosan village of Jeju Island, ended the village tour by reading to us from a picture book written and illustrated by her 98-year-old grandmother. Ms. Oh said, “When you look closely at my grandmother’s personal life, you will see Korea’s painful history.” Her grandmother lived a harsh life during the Japanese Occupation (1910-1945), lost her husband during the April 3rd Incident on Jeju Island (1948-1953), and lost her father during the Korean War (1950-1953). Ms. Oh grew up in a beautiful village on the western side of Jeju Island. She shed tears as she shared with us the warm memories that the village had given her throughout her life. She said that the village is in danger of disappearing because it has been set as the planned site for a second airport on Jeju Island.
The planners neither sought nor received the consent of the villagers. Jeju is a volcanic island with caves underneath many villages, including Soosan village. The caves make building an airport on this site extremely unsafe. Ms. Oh mentioned that the project did not pass an environmental impact assessment that checks on the stability of building large structures on top of caves. As we heard the stories of her childhood and the current crisis this village is facing, we promised to walk in solidarity with the villagers as they fight against the construction of the second airport on Jeju Island.
We learned about this critical situation during an on-site orientation of the 2024-2025 Young Adult Volunteer (YAV) program. Claire Kim, a YAV serving in Korea, arrived in Seoul on Aug. 27 to begin a month-long orientation with two German volunteers with two Korean Presbyterian denominations who are also PC(USA) partners. The YAV onsite orientation began with a four-day international peace camp in Gangjeong Village on Jeju Island. Young activists from Taiwan, Okinawa (Japan), the Philippines, and Hawaii, along with Jeju islanders, gathered to build connections of solidarity and friendship and shared about the precious nature and cultures they hope to protect. We also reflected on how their islands have suffered from colonial occupation and massacres, and how their island nations continue to suffer from environmental destruction and threats of war. The peace camp provided a space to envision a peaceful future and strategize how to make it possible.
After the camp, Claire and I had the opportunity to travel around Jeju with the two German volunteers and one Canadian volunteer to learn about the history of Jeju and the reality that Jeju is facing. In particular, while visiting Soosan village, we learned that the problems surrounding the construction of Jeju’s second airport are many. In addition to the structural concerns, the airport should not be built at the expense of a single village. If it is built, it will benefit a large company and lead to increased militarization of Jeju. By visiting the site and hearing about the threat to the village through the words of the villagers, we learned that the pain and suffering of people in Jeju are no longer merely stories of others, but stories that we need to carry in our hearts as we live in this complicated world.
We returned to Seoul after the week-long study trip to Jeju. As part of the YAV orientation, we visited many partner organizations to learn about and listen to the many ways Christians in Korea live their faith through actions. We visited women’s organizations that have made efforts to help Korean women assume the role of leadership in the church and to build a movement together with women’s voices. We met with people who studied and worked on ways Christians should actively address environmental issues and what responsibilities the church has. We discovered how young people are speaking out in the church and what activities they are participating in. We encountered people who are marginalized in Korean society and heard about how the church is accompanying and uniting with our marginalized neighbors. In addition, we learned how the Korean Church has been working with reunification and democratization movements. Visiting partner organizations helps volunteers learn about the activities of Christians living in Korea as well as how they are united and active in their respective situations. Although each meeting was short, we were very grateful to those who extended their hospitality to our young adults and shared passionately about their involvement in the movement for peace and justice.
In addition, we visited other sites to learn about how Korean history has impacted women. We visited the War and Women’s Human Rights Museum, which tells the story of the Japanese military’s “Comfort Women,” and we participated in the Wednesday Demonstration advocating for justice on the “Comfort Women” issue. We also visited Durebang, which works for the human rights of women who work in the U.S. military “camp towns.” Both organizations are dealing with the effects of war and militarization on women, work to eliminate human trafficking for purposes of sexual exploitation within camp towns, and challenge militarism. Visiting these organizations reminded us that war does not have a good effect on anyone and that many people suffer from it, which is why war cannot be justified in any way.
Our schedule was very busy and tight, but there was a lot of learning, sharing, hospitality and partnership. The YAV onsite orientation program ended with some time to reflect on what we learned and felt over the past three to four weeks. We visited many places, met many people, ate lots of food, heard many stories, and felt many emotions. Through this short orientation, I hope that young adults will think of this throughout their lives as they live in Korea for the next year and reflect on what it means to live in this world as a responsible Christian. Claire will move to Gangjin to serve at Nutbom Moon Ik Hwan Alternative School. Please pray for Claire as she adjusts to a new place and learns with students who are seeking peace and justice.
Peace,
Hyeyoung and Kurt