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NCCK Special Committee on the SEWOL Disaster Holds Prayer Meetings
160 days has already passed since the Sewol Ferry Tragedy occurred. However, a proper investigation has not been conducted. The bereaved families are still protesting at Gwanghwamun, Cheongun-dong and at the National Assembly to demand enactment of the SEWOL Special Bill guaranteeing the rights of investigation and prosecution.
On August 25, Rev. Kim Young-Ju, the General Secretary of NCCK, and members of NCCK SEWOL Ferry Tragedy Task Force visited the bereaved families who had been holding a sit-in for 4 days in front of the Cheongun-dong Community Service Center. There, Rev. Kim Young-Ju said, “From past experiences in Korean modern history, there were many truth commissions on suspicious deaths and massacres without the rights of investigation and prosecution, and we have seen how disappointing and frustrating the procedure and result of the commissions are. So, the SEWOL Special Bill must be enacted as the families are longing for this.” He also said, “I feel deeply sorry that the families took the lead in bearing the heavy burden to reveal the truth, which is not only for the victims but also for all the people in our country. Korean Churches will continue to share the burden together and be with you until the end of this struggle.” In response to Rev. Kim’s statement, Mr. Kim Jing-Ki, a father of one of the student victims said, “Thank you for your sincere solidarity. The president, Park Guen-Hye promised to reveal the truth and shed tears in May, but now she seems to have no will to do it, and her tears were crocodile tears. We will wait for her to keep her promise for 40 days, 400 days, and 4000 days.”
Since August 26, the day right after the visit, the NCCK Task Force has held a candlelit prayer gathering on the opposite side of the Cheongun-dong Community Service Center every evening at 7pm on weekdays. In this prayer gathering, not only the members of NCCK but also some Korean Evangelical groups have taken part. In the service, with the first session of the gathering, many pastors, priests, and lay people gave sermons and prayed. For the second sessions of the gathering were a time of testimony where some bereaved families and volunteers shared their stories. Many participants were touched and wept over the testimonies. A deacon, Choi Soon-Hwa, a mother of one of the student victims said, “As I’m a Christian, I always keep the word ‘forgiveness’ in my mind. Jesus, who led us in the way of truth, is the symbol of love and forgiveness. In order to forgive someone, I need to know who commits the fault first. But still we don’t know who took the lives of 304 people nor why they had to die. So I can’t start to forgive the sinner although I really want to forgive.” Another mother and Christian, Ms. Kwon Mi-Hwa said that, “Some mega churches’ pastors’ have been insulting us saying things that deeply hurt us, and I felt shame that they were a Christian. I give Thanks for the pastors who stay with us everyday and you people who hold services every evening. Through this, I could open my mind again and feel the wounds beginning to heal.” This prayer gathering will be continued as long as the families continue their sit-in there and do not give up.
On September 16, President Park spoke her mind saying that the SEWOL Special Bill is not a matter on which the President can make a decision. We can interpreted this to mean she has no will to resolve the problem and wants to deny all her responsibility over this matter. In opposition to her statement, the NCCK T.F. issued a statement. Through the statement, the NCCK asked her to feel the pain and wounds of the families first and foremost while dismissing any political calculation. And the NCCK strongly urged her to not deny her responsibility but to fulfill the promise she made in May to investigate the truth of the tragedy thoroughly and to enact the Special Law. The NCCK advised her, this is the only way to regain public trust and support. Following the teaching of the bible, “when they are weeping, weep together with them,” the NCCK will continue to be with the bereaved families as good neighbors and continue to support the work to reveal the truth as Christians with an active consciousness of faith.
Another event of the SEWOL Special Committee: Prayer Meeting at Paengmok Harbor
“We urge the enactment of the Special SEWOL Bill containing the authority to investigate and the right to prosecute,” says a placard affixed to the bus leaving Jongno-5-ga at 7am for Paengmok Harbour on Jindo Island. About thirty pastors and other Christians boarded the bus on September 12th in order to hold a prayer meeting “to honor the victims of the SEWOL disaster and hope for the rescue of missing persons.”
Having arrived at Paengmok Harbor, the participants stopped by the volunteer booth of the Jindo Association of Churches that was giving support to the families of the ten people still missing. Then they looked around the area of Paengmok Harbor, which was becoming gradually more and quieter. The original plan was to meet the families of the missing persons, hear their situation and their story, but the families refused this. Since it is six months from the accident, they said it is difficult for them to continue meeting all sorts of people.
The prayer meeting proceeded at two in the afternoon in front of the Paengmok Harbor lighthouse where people were simply waiting for the missing people to return. During the prayer meeting, Rev. Lee Seung-Yeul (Chair of NCCK Special Committee for SEWOL Disaster) said in a sermon, “The concept of justice is that God created the life of all creatures, the ecological system, and the cosmic order. As this is a core concept, we must all follow this as the law of God. Justice does not discriminate, and it shows the loving God’s grace and care to the weak who are poor, the powerless, and the have-nots.” He offered consolation by adding, “Even though it looks like the people with power in the world are controlling it according to their own will, the God of judgment will show justice at the end.”
Rev. Lee, quoting the Book of Amos, said, “When it says you should establish justice in the gate, it refers to righteous judgment. We are standing at the crossroads deciding whether to make a society of justice or to fall into a society through evil doings.” And encouraged everyone to consider that, “We need to commit and to ask ourselves one more time whether we have the confidence to be beside the victims of SEWOL ferry to the end.”
After sharing communion administered by Korean Anglican Priests, the participants held a time for intercessory prayer. We prayed, “Prayers for the victims of SEWOL ferry and their families; prayers of hope for the rescue of the missing persons of SEWOL ferry; prayers for the passage of the Special SEWOL Bill for uncovering the truth of the ferry disaster.” These prayers were led by Rev. Park Byung-Kwon (Secretary of NCCK Special Committee for SEWOL Disaster); Father Kim Dae-Sool (Korean Anglican Church Priest of Justice and Peace); and Bae Seong-Jin (Staff of PROK Justice and Peace Department).
Father Kim Dae-Sool confessed, “Forgive us, who are struggling to live our lives as we see the enormous incidents perpetrated by people who were false, Babel-tower-people, and greedy.” After which he prayed, “May the Lord who came to the scared disciples bring back the souls of the ten people to our hearts as soon as possible.”
Rev. Park Chang-Bin, who gave the benediction, called the ten people’s name one by one: “Jo Eun-Hwa; Heo Da-Yun; Hwang Ji-Hyun; Nam Hyun-Cheol; Park Young-In; Yang Seung-Jin; Ko Chang-Seok; Kwon Jae-Geun; Kwon Hyeok-Kyu; Lee Young-Sook!”; and he prayed that even though their soul is resting with God, we wish their body would come back to the waiting arms of their families as soon as possible. He prayed that the blessing of the Lord would also be with the participants who were committed until the end to being with the bereaved families suffering such sorrow.
For the second part of the event Rev. Jo Won-Sik of Jindo Shinjin Church gave testimony by sharing the story of the site of Paengmok Harbor. Since the incident on April 16th up until this point, he has been in charge of supporting the families of the SEWOL ferry. Rev. Jo said, “I heard about the SEWOL incident through the Jindo Town Hall, and I even heard that everyone was rescued so that there is no need for help from the church association. However, the situation quickly turned.” And he shared the situation at that time that, “He went to Paengmok Harbor the next day and it was filled with the anger, the pain, the tears, and the shouts of the families.”
After that almost every day he has been serving at the Paengmok Harbor and observed that, “In the beginning families were relieved that dead bodies did not come because they still hoped their kids would be rescued. However, as time passed they were thankful to receive the dead bodies.” He explained that sorrow and despair still fill the quiet Paengmok Harbor. Yet, “what I realized after spending six months at the site with the families is that the people of Korea do not really understand the situation of the families.” He shared his sadness regarding the people who talked about SEWOL only having knowledge through the media or through rumors. After that, Rev. Jang Heon-Kwon (President of Gwangju NCC) shared the testimony of participating in the court process and his hopes that the Special Bill requested by the families is established and that justice is restored.
The participants who finished the prayer meeting wrote prayers or letters longing for the rescue of the missing people and placed it in the post box next to the lighthouse, after which they went to the Jindo Gym where family members were still waiting for the missing people and spent another time in prayer. Now there are only ten missing people there are only a few volunteer organizations still around, but nearby the site is very quiet just like the quiet of people forgetting about the SEWOL ferry. Participants looked around the gym and then went up into the bus to head back to Seoul.
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