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to the Triennial of the Friends World Committee for Consultation
Sydney, Australia, August 18-25, 1973
FWCC Sydney Triennial Attachment VIII (Minute 509)
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Dear Friends,
Physically speaking, I am here in Seoul, but my heart is there with you. I would
like to express my heartfelt thanks to you all. I am aware of your constant
prayers for our tiny Friends' meeting here in Seoul, and your sincere efforts to
support it and nourish it are greatly appreciated. Moreover, when this nation
was placed under the! martial law last year and ensuing difficulties were
tremendous, Friends all over the world did express their deep concerns directly
or indirectly about the safety of myself and my family.
I have been very anxious to participate in the conference you are having now. In
fact, I was even planning to attend this conference as soon as the Sigtuna
meeting was over three years ago. At Sigtuna I had a few concerns in mind that
could have appealed to you. However, mainly on account of the language barrier,
I refrained myself from explaining what I had in mind. Therefore, I was anxious
to attend this meeting. To my great joy, you invited me to represent the Seoul
meeting, and with joy I was looking forward to this conference to share my
concerns. To my great regret, however, various unfavourable conditions have
made it impossible for me to go I am so much disappointed, and I imagine you are
equally disappointed.
I cannot go because my wife is seriously ill. When I left here for Sigtuna three
years ago, I was uncomfortable and uneasy as she was not well. She has been
bed-ridden for so many years, and someone has to be at her bed-side twenty-four
hours a day. Due to her and her long illness I have been re-evaluating the
meaning of life. What is this to be husband and wife? What is illness? What is
faith? I raise these questions in my heart again and again every day.
In addition to that, my intimate friends keep me from going. They are a handful
of good people who are determined to keep their conscience free despite the
curtailment of individual freedom. We manage to stay alive by comforting and
encouraging each other. We are united, and bound together as self-appointed
vanguard of the nation's conscience. They are afraid of having me outside the
country even for a brief period of time. They need me here so badly, and I do
not intend to make them unhappy.
The monthly magazine called 'Voice of the People' that I have been editing and
publishing for the past three years urges me to give up the plan to join you. As
for me, the magazine is a tiny, sickly baby undernourished, mistreated, and even
tortured under these circumstances. Nevertheless, this is the one and only
fortress of freedom under this government which lack reason and common sense.
Whenever I give birth to this child every month, I come to understand the
feelings of a mother who has given birth to a malformed child or a mentally
retarded baby; I could even sympathize with a virgin raped by rascals. All is in
God's hand and Providence does not create evil; I am fully aware of it. But I am
solely responsible for the publication of this magazine, and it would be unwise
to leave the difficult task to some one else under these difficult
circumstances.
For these reasons 'I have decided not to leave the country at this time. Some of
my dear friends from New York came to see me, and urged me to go. Their love was
genuine and their friendship was beautiful. They did comfort my heart that was
sad and depressed. Their concerns made me to take up this pen and write this
letter for you. Mr. Young Sang Chin shall share our concerns with you. I know I
have disappointed you, and I feel bound to say a few words about what I have in
mind.
St. Paul was determined to convert his own beloved people to God, and for this
sole purpose he risked his own life. For this he was not afraid of being severed
even from the love of Christ. Quoting the man from Tarsus, I would like to
express my concerns and share them with you.
Many friends come to us and ask if there is anything we need. They would like to
know how to help us. I cannot answer their questions. Sometimes I feel like
saying why do you ask these questions to me. But, before saying so, I tend to
blame myself. It is my fault that I have not shared my concerns with you. That
pricks my own conscience. If you are my true friends, I should be able to talk
about the things that we can be proud of. But that is not enough. I should be
able to refer to the things that we should be ashamed of. Owing to my vain
pride and the lack of faith, I have, so far, been unable to tell you about the
things that all the Korean! s ought to be ashamed of.
I call this nation the "Queen of Sufferings" sometimes I call her the "Old
Prostitute". Korea is the "World's Sewage" or its "Garbage Can".
My friends, Korea is the criminal hanging on the cross. America and Russia have
torn us north and south; China and Japan have divided us east and west. We are
the victim of the competitive struggles of powerful nations' nationalism. We are
torn apart but this division is against our own will. We know we have to be
united but we have no strength to unite ourselves. The power of evil is too
enormous to be overcome.
We are the people being constantly tortured by political evils. Political evils
are worldwide today. Both Democracy and Communism have pushed us into this
valley of sufferings.
We are the puddle of degenerate civilizations. We know we have to create a new
history but we fail to do so. The pollution of this world has degraded our
youths and has corrupted them; they are groping in the darkness for light and
salvation.
Of course, we bear this burden on our shoulders on account of our own sins. But
this burden is not ours alone; it is the burden of the entire mankind. My
friends, help us bear this burden on our shoulders.
Jesus called the Jewish people the salt of the earth, the city on top of the
mountain, and the light of the world. To say the truth, the Jewish were the
trash of history. Jesus might call the Korean people by these same expressions.
But, in order to save this rotten fish of the world, the salt itself has to be
melted. How can we possibly overcome this political evil called nationalism
without sacrificing ourselves most willingly and most positively? To enlighten
and guide the destiny of this civilization we must burn ourselves redemptively.
We must bear our burden, but there is no distinction between the man who bears
the burden and the man who has forced the burden on his fellowman. There is no
longer 'your country' or 'my country'. There is only one world. There is no
longer any distinction between 'your God' and 'my God'. There is only one
meaning.
My dear friends, in the midst of this turbulent stream of sufferings and
tribulations I shout like a Macedonian: "Come over here and help us!"
As my wife cannot bear the pains of her illness all by herself my friends here
cannot protect their own conscience by themselves and my magazine cannot stay
alive by itself. We need your love. This "Queen of Sufferings" needs your
comforts and wants to share her concerns with you.!
God bless and keep you.
Sincerely yours,
(signed) Sok Hon Ham
Seoul, Korea.
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