“Holding the Hands of History - A Memoir of Rev. AHN Jae Woong”

“Holding the Hands of History - A Memoir of Rev. AHN Jae Woong”

THE HISTORY OF AN ECUMENICAL ACTIVIST IN ASIA AND ASIAN CHURCHES
BOOK REVIEW (March 2022) by Professor KIM Heung Soo (Church Historian, Professor Emeritus at Mokwon University, and former President at the National Council of YMCAs of Korea)

Source: The Christian Thought, A Monthly Magazine, published by Christian Literature Society of Korea, vol. 759, March 2022, pp.158-163.
________________________________________

What does this 700-page book contain? In general, memoirs are about personal stories. However, it is better not to expect personal stories about the author, Rev. AHN Jae Woong and his family in his memoir. In Chapter 1, the readers can learn a little about the author's childhood and his family. He was born and raised in a Presbyterian home, known as "The Believing Family", located near Songnisan in Boeun. In order to prepare for his entrance to the University, AHN left his hometown to live with his uncle in Seoul. He was substantially influenced by his uncle, Rev. AHN Kwang Kook. When the author failed to enter the university, his uncle had suggested that he enrolled in Soongsil University instead. The author lived with his uncle’s family until his sophomore year. After graduation, the author had intended to study theology at Hanshin University but his uncle recommended him for admission into the Presbyterian University and Theological Seminary.

AHN’s uncle had profound influence on him during his college days. It was also the time when he met practitioners who were leading the progressive Student Christian Movement. In his Bible Study class, he met Mr. OH Jae Shik and Dr. James T. LANEY, the latter being a Methodist missionary from the United States of America. Mr. OH Jae Shik was then, the Executive Secretary of the Korea Student Christian Council (KSCC) and Dr. James T. LANEY was his co-worker. KSCC was a council body of the Korea Student Christian Movement (KSCM), University YMCA, and Student YWCA. AHN used to visit the KSCM office often, which was then located in the “Christian Literature Society of Korea” Building in Jongno 2-ga. KSCM was then led by General Secretary Rev. SON Myung Gul. The author also participated in the ecumenical work camp led by Rev. PARK Sang Jung, the Executive Secretary of the National Christian Council of Korea(NCCK) Youth Department, as well as the National Christian Council of Japan(NCCJ) Youth Department’s ecumenical work camp held in Japan. Youth camps were another form of university education for AHN, which broadened his Christian horizons. The author was taught the Bible and received leadership training from OH Jae Shik, James T. LANEY, SON Myung Gul, and Park Sang Jung. Their tutelage would last till December 1963, when he graduated from the University. The future of an ecumenical movement’s leader was thus, prepared.

After serving in the South Korean military as part of the country’s national draft, AHN volunteered at the KSCM Summer Conference in 1968, led by Mr. OH Jae Shik, the Executive Secretary of the University division of YMCA, and Rev. CHOI Sung Mook, the General Secretary of the KSCC. In those days, Mr. Oh Jae Shik, the former Executive Secretary of the KSCC, also worked as the Executive Secretary of the University division of National Council of YMCAs of Korea, after completing his theological studies at Yale University. Around 800 KSCM members, and members of the University YMCA and Student YWCA, which are all member organizations of KSCC, had participated in that summer conference. The main task of the summer conference was to merge these three organizations. Hence, the author describes in his memoir, how the conference became "a turning point in the Student Christian Movement” (p. 51). Around this time, the author was also preparing to study abroad, but he gave up the idea, right after the 1968 Summer Conference and accepted the post of Executive Secretary of KSCC instead. Rev. CHOI Sung Mook, General Secretary of KSCC, resigned from his position at the end of the summer conference. In November 1969, the author became a staff of Mr. OH Jae Shik, who took up the position of the first General Secretary of the Korea Student Christian Federation (KSCF). The KSCC was subsequently dissolved. After ten years of leading the Student Christian Movement in Korea, AHN became a front-line practitioner at the age of 30 in 1970.

Chapter 2 covers the period when the author “was deeply immersed in the Student Christian Movement” (p. 56). When the Student Christian Movement was transformed into the KSCF system, the author was at the forefront of the movement. After he became KSCF’s Executive Secretary, the author attended the training of the Asia-Pacific Secretariat of the World Student Christian Federation (WSCF), where Mr. KANG Moon Kyu was the Regional Secretary since 1970. The training for Asian youth lasted for three months and was held at Tozanso, the Japan YMCA training center. In this way, AHN’s horizon was broadened to Asia, and the relationship between WSCF Asia-Pacific Secretariat and Asian Christian youth was established. Since then, the author led the Student Christian Movement for no less than eleven years, right until 1980.

This was the time when AHN demonstrated his leadership as a practitioner in the student movement organization, and in this process, he became a leader of the Korean democratization movement. The first ordeal that the author experienced was the “National Federation of Democratic Youth and Students” incident in April 1974. As a result of his involvement, he was imprisoned at the beginning of his honeymoon. His wife, who worked for the “Council for Political Detainees”, was forced to endure various hardships at the hand of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA). After being arrested by the police and transferred to the KCIA on March 31, 1974, AHN was sentenced to fifteen years in prison but was released a year later, on February 15.

Looking back at this period, 50 years later, the author remembers Korean and international comrades who shared the ups and downs of the Student Christian Movement, and the Korean democratization movement in general, especially that of Mr. NAH Byung Shik, who is now deceased. The author finally took office as the General Secretary of the KSCF in 1976. Therefore, this book covers not only the history of the Student Christian Movement but also the Korean Democratization Movement.

This book is one among the history series about the prominent figures of the Korean Christian Democratization Movement. As this book’s title contains the word, "history," one may conclude that it is about Korean history. However, the Korean story is only a small part of the book. Even though his activist life in Korea ended in 1980, his life has expanded to embrace the whole of the Asian region after that. The ecumenical movement of Asian churches is also an important part of the book. The author became the Regional Secretary of the WSCF Asia-Pacific Region in Hong Kong in 1980. After his appointment in December 1979, Rev. KIM Kwan Suk and Rev. KANG Won Yong had to meet then Korean Military Strongman, CHUN Doo Hwan to negotiate for AHN’s departure from Korea, so that he could take up his post in Hong Kong. He then spent the subsequent six years in Hong Kong. The book goes on to tell many WSCF-related stories. Since then, AHN’s horizon and sphere of activities have expanded to cover the whole of Asia. And he began to find ways to help realize the aspirations of the Asian peoples.

During this time, the people’s liberation from military dictatorships in several Asian countries including, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Taiwan became paramount. There was also the issue of human rights of marginalized groups, such as the indigenous peoples and high-mountain tribal communities that needed to be addressed. In Hong Kong, AHN began to establish close working relationships between WSCF, the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA), and the World Council of Churches (WCC).

After his tenure at the WSCF Asia-Pacific Region had ended, AHN embarked upon his theological studies at Harvard University. And after his graduation, he was appointed to lead the Christian Conference of Asia-Urban Rural Mission (CCA-URM) in Hong Kong, succeeding Rev. KWON Ho Kyung. He continued to work in Hong Kong until 1995. In his memoir, AHN commented, “It was like moving my job from campus ministry to urban-rural ministry” (p. 242). In taking on this task, the author has prioritized in building people’s power in Asia. The top leadership of CCA-URM came from India and Korea then, with namely, two Indians and three Koreans (OH Jae Shik, KWON Ho Kyung, AHN Jae Woong) at its helm. The Korean leadership demonstrates the strength and importance of the Korean Church in Asia. Its leadership was already evidenced in the region’s church-state relations since the 1970s. When I visited CCA in the fall of 2009, the Associate General Secretary from Sri Lanka told me that the Churches of Korea, the Philippines, and Taiwan have played an important leadership role in church-state relationship of Asian churches through their respective democratization movements.

AHN returned to Korea from Hong Kong in 1995 and led the Korea Christian Institute for the Study of Justice and Development as the Executive Director in Seoul for three years, before returning to Hong Kong in January 1999, to take up the post as CCA’s Associate General Secretary, responsible for finance. He then became CCA’s General Secretary a year later. In his memoir, AHN remembers that Rev. IN Myung Jin has recommended him to assume the post of CCA’s Associate General Secretary for Finance, and Dr. Bart Shaha, the General Secretary of the World Alliance of YMCAs, has recommended him for the latter position. Although the author mainly stayed in Hong Kong, his leadership and involvement covered the Asian region.

The author's activities during this period are less known to us in Korea. Hence, I was particularly interested in reading this part of his book. AHN and I have attended the World Alliance of YMCAs General Assembly in Thailand, and the Asia and Pacific Alliance of YMCAs General Assembly in Japan together. He then introduced me to colleagues and friends with whom he had previously worked with across Asia. I saw how he was being warmly greeted by Asian colleagues, which made me realize that he is really a leader of Asia, rather than a Korean leader. These were people he met and worked with while leading organizations, such as the WSCF Asia Pacific Regiont, CCA, and YMCA. Chapter 4 to 7 are full of stories about the Asian peoples.

Among many other activities AHN has initiated in Asia, the publication of “A History of the Ecumenical Movement in Asia (2004)” is particularly noteworthy for Korean Church historians, and missionaries who work in Asia. The Korean version was published in 2006. AHN saw the necessity for such a book and went on to organize a committee to realize it. He also began fundraising for it during his tenure as CCA’s General Secretary. AHN regarded this initiative as his, “…important achievement while serving as the General Secretary of CCA” (p. 367). Besides AHN, KANG Moon Kyu, OH Jae Shik, PARK Sang Jung, and KWON Ho Kyung, have all worked as Executives in CCA and WSCF, etc. They all testified to the People's Movements, the Ecumenical Movements, and the Student Christian Movements throughout Asia through their memoirs, which were published after their retirement. In this way, we learn about our Asian neighbors through their involvement, as well as through various other testimonies of Korean missionaries and ecumenical activists active in churches and Christian organizations throughout Asia.

AHN highlighted, from Chapter 8 to the end of his book, various social movement activities that he engaged with after his return to Korea in 2005. The author took office as the President of the National Council of YMCAs of Korea in 2012. In 2014, the National Council of YMCAs of Korea celebrated its 100th anniversary under his leadership. This was such a great blessing for Korea YMCAs.

This book profoundly describes the author's arduous and rewarding life story that spans 80 years. There is a confession of faith that he did not dare to shake off “The hands of history” was guided by his faith. In this respect, this book is about the history of confession of an Asian ecumenical activist from Boeun, North Chungcheong Province. In this memoir, AHN also describes his sadness that he could not warmly hold his family’s hand while holding the hands of history. “My imprisonment has turned my wife into an activist and sacrificed my eldest child” (p. 158).

The author’s marriage was officiated by Rev. PARK Hyung Kyu. When he proposed to her, LEE Kyung Ae, who was then the Secretary of Rev. KIM Chi Mook, the General Secretary of the National Council of YMCAs of Korea, "She just smiled shyly” (p.101). It is the most emotional scene in the book and the most beautiful scene in his life. The only flaw of this book is how AHN’s personal memories are hidden by 'history'. (***)

Rev. AHN_Book review(번역본)_최종안-3

0.02MB