SMLC Seminar:
Divided Church, Reunified Nation: Christian Leadership in Discussing Reunification in South Korea

Dr. Paul S. Cha

22 Feb, 2017 (Wed) 4:30-6:00 pm
Room 4.36, Run Run Shaw Tower, Centennial Campus, HKU

Up to the early-1980s, North Korea and reunification were dangerous topics of discussion in South Korea. Successive dictatorial regimes cast North Korea as the enemy and labeled those who advocated peaceful reunification as communist sympathizers. By the early 1980s, however, student activists identified the division of the peninsula as the root cause of the political, labor, and human rights woes that confronted South Korean society. Leading the charge in opening spaces to actually discuss reunification were Christian churches and organizations. This talk discusses the reasons for this Christian leadership and the importance of viewing this movement from an international perspective.

Author Bio:
Paul S. Cha is an assistant professor of Korean Studies at the University of Hong Kong. His research interests include Korean Christianity and modern Korean history.