Evening star., 1952-11-16
The Week in Religion
4
Church Groups Active in Face
OfWur HordsI,ips for Korea
By Religious News Service

By Religious News Service
Church groups in Korea are car
rying on a surprising amount Of
activity in view of the hardships
imposed by the war.
They are completing the organi-
cation of the first chaplaincy Serv-
ice for the South Korean armed
forces. helping to strengthen the
morale Of the people and making
plans for reconstruction of the
country.
The 1853 program of the Ma
tional Christian Council of Korea,
announced at a meeting in Pusan,
highlightS this activity.
One hundred chaplains for the
Korean armed forces will be
trained under the program. 1t
also calls for emphasis on recon-
struction, strengthening of mutual
aid relationships with United
States and European churches and
a request to the United Nations
command for relief and recon-
struction aid to Korean churches.
44,S3O Converted.
The ROK Army Chaplains Sec
tion reported last week that A, $3.50
South Korean soldiers had been
converted to Christianity by its
members since the establishment
of the section in February. 1851.
Protestant and Catholic chap
lains soon will be stationed with
all major units of South Korea's
Air Force. Appointment of a
Presbyterian minister and a Cath
olic priest as joint heads of the
Air Force Chaplain's Service was
announced in Seoul last week
Korean churches have been
playing a prominent part in ef-
orts to end the war, but without
any compromise of basic prin-
ciples.
The Methodist and Presbyterian
churches of Korea-the two major
Protestant bodies in the republic
have requested that North Ko-
reans be allowed to move to the
South when hostilities cease.
Appeal at Truce Talks.
In an appeal submitted to the
Republic of Korea delegate at the
Panmunjom truce talks, the
churches urged that North Ko-
reans be assured their right to
flee the Communist regime. They
also proposed that South Koreans
who might prefer to live in the
North be permitted to do so.
Everybody is born with the
right to choose the government
under which he desires to live."
the churches said.
Church leaders said thousands
of North Korean Christians still
were living under the Communist
regime. Their appeal asked
United Nations and Communist
truce delegations to consider the
question human problem" not
q political one.
500 Dead or Kidnapped
Earlier, the Korean Presbyterian
Church reported that 500 Presby-
terian clergymen had been killed
or kidnapped during the two years
of the war. The church, however,
is rapidly filling the gaps. Some
500 Korean young men are study
ing for the ministry at the Presby-
terian seminary at Taegu.
The Korean Presbyterians also
reported 152 Of their churches and
chapels had been completely de-
stroyed and another 46S dam
aged.
Christian refugees from North
Korea as well as South Korean
leaders have been insistently de-
manding social, economic and po-
litical reforms.
A meeting of representatives Of
Protestant. refugees from the north
recently asked the South Korean
government for a labor law and
speedy action to carry out the
land reform program approved by
the Legislature.
Full of FalSehOOd.
The refugees said the North Ko-
rean labor law and land reform
policy are the only things "still
attractive" about the Communist
government, even though these
policies are filled with falsehood. u
1--WE believe" said one repre-
sentative, that immediate enact
ment Of a good labor law and