From Brokenness To Wholeness : A Christian Ministry For Healing “HAN” in the Korean Context

Abstract

Today we are living with many problems in the world. Human beings are dying and expelled out of their living places even at this moment. Many people are forced to get out of their hometowns and wandering as refuges. Korea is another country where there many problems arising from evil structures. Above all, the division of Korea into north and south is the most painful suffering for all Koreans. After experiencing Japanese colonial rule for 36 years, Korea was divided in 1945, with its south occupied by the United States and its north by the Soviet Union. This division was solidified by the Korean War in 1950 to 1953. In Korea, all people are suffering from the same wound. It is characterized as so-called ‘han.’ That is, Koreans have suffered numerous invasions by surrounding powerful nations so that the very existence of the Korean nation has come to be understood as han. Of course, the term han is not only applied to Koreans but also to all other suffering peoples in the world. How should we, as Christians, understand and respond to the problem of han? It is important to search for solutions to their problems theologically. It is an important task for all Koreans to solve it. Further, it is one of essential issues for Christians to deal with the personal and social dimension of han. In this article, I focused on the case of Korea, centering on the concept of han. I first examined the concepts of han in several ways: the definitions of han; the stories of han; and the roots of han. Then, I explicated the biblical and theological basis for resolving the problem of han. Third, I searched for pastoral ways of healing han with regard to Christian healing ministry. In conclusion, I maintained that we must actively engage in work for justice and peace for the resolution of han. It is related to the social dimensions of Christian ministry, so-called social healing. Then, I briefly pointed out tasks for further studies.