The first Korean Female Prime Minister Han Myung Sook (1944- ):

The Friend: The British Quaker Weekly

02 February 2006

 

Inspired by the pacifism and simplicity of Quakerism - Kim Sungsoo talks about Korea’s new prime minister,

Han Myung-sook

 

The first Korean Female Prime Minister Han Myung Sook (1944- ):
Inspired by the pacifism and simplicity of Quakerism

On April 19 2006, the Korea National Assembly approved the nomination of Han Myung-sook as the

country's first female Prime Minister. Han, a 62-year old MP of the ruling Uri Party,

gained 182 votes out of a total of 264 votes cast. Han served as Minister of the Environment from 2003 to

2004 under the current President Roh Moo-hyun's administration. She also served as the first

Minister of Gender Equality from 2001 to 2003 under the then President Kim Dae-jung.

Han has been elected to the National Assembly as MP twice, in 2000 by proportional representation and
again in 2004 by election in my constituency. I met her at a local tube station while she was campaigning

and of course voted for her. Before joining politics, she devoted herself to pro-democracy and

feminist movements.

In the 1960's Han studied French Literature at University, and during that period she met her future

husband Mr Joon S. Park (1941- ) who was to awaken her social awareness and became her mentor.

At that time Korea was ruled by military dictatorship, and Park, also a university student was a Marxist
and activist for democracy. After falling in love they married in 1967, but after six months of marriage

Park was arrested for his involvement in the democratization movement.

Park spent the next 13 years in prison where he was severely tortured by the Korean CIA.
While in prison Park became a Christian.

 
While deprived of her husband by the military dictatorship,

Han was a social activist in the Korean Christian Academy and

also completed a Master's course in Theology.

However, she too was jailed for two and a half years, from 1979 to 1981,
for her role in the Academy as a promotor of democracy in Korean society.
Han was brutally tortured in prison and
today her body still bears the scars and side effects of torture.

Husband and wife were both released from prison in late 1981 and
they started a belated 'new honeymoon.'
Han devoted herself to the promotion of women's rights in Korea.

She served as the president of Womenlink Korea, a feminist civilian organization, for many years.
Having recognized her contribution to the democratic development of Korean society,

in 1998 the first Korean Nobel Peace Prize laureate President Kim Dae Jung awarded her

the National Medal of Honor.

From 1997 Han and Park studied as visiting scholars at the New York Union Theological Seminary

and at that time they discovered Pendle Hill Quaker Study Center.

From August 1998 they became resident students of Pendle Hill,

Han for one year, while Park stayed for three years.
At Pendle Hill, they liked silent meeting for worship every morning.

While studying Quakerism, Han particularly appreciated the elements of pacifism, plain life and simplicity.

In 2000 Park became a member of Central Philadelphia Monthly Meeting, and

on his return to Seoul he transferred his membership to Seoul Monthly Meeting.

 

Han herself is not a member of Seoul Monthly Meeting but an attender.

She likes Quakerism more than any other religious thinking, respects Quakers and

is very happy that her husband has Quaker membership.

She has said that when she retires from politics she will also apply for

membership of the Society of Friends.

 

However, ironically it would not be possible for her to do her current work in Korea as a Quaker.
There are three kinds of Christians in Korea: fundamental Christians, more fundamental Christians

and most fundamental Christians.

 

Quakers are not yet officially recognized in Korea as a religious sect and
some Christians still consider Quakers to be heretics, as in 17th century England.

When I was in England, British Quakers would sometimes ask me,

"How many Quakers are there in Korea?" When I said, "ten!" they would ask, "you mean ten thousand?"
But my answer was always same,

"No just ten, and so ten percent of Korean Quakers are now in England, me!"

Park returned to Korea in July 2000, and after ten years study in England I myself also returned to Korea
at about that time, a member of Hardshaw East Monthly Meeting.

Despite our age gap, Park and I became very close F/friends, and

one weekend I stayed overnight at Park's house and another weekend vice versa.
When I stayed at Park's house I met Han for the first time.

Although she was an MP and very busy, she welcomed me kindly and cooked a very nice evening meal.

When my English wife and our children came to Korea in 2001,

Han and Park visited our humble house to welcome my family from England,

and we had a very nice time together. In 2002, as Minister of Gender Equality,

Han helped my wife with some practical queries about settling down in Korean society.

Han, despite her unbearable suffering in the past, has always kept optimism, a nice smile and serene beauty.
I admire Han's indomitable spirit and strong affection for things around her.

She was born in Pyongyang, the current capital of North Korea.

This is very symbolic for a peaceful unification of the Korean peninsula in the future.

I hope that Han may be the first female president of a peaceful and unified Korea.

Ham Sok Hon, a Korean Quaker who was a famous activist for democracy in Korea, said,

"Peace is a peremptory command from God and history.

Take the way of peace or the way of destruction of all humanity, We have to take the way of peace."

Kim Sungsoo is author of Biography of a Korean Quaker Ham Sok Hon and,
although he now works and lives in Korea, he still maintains membership of

Hardshaw East Monthly Meeting of British Yearly Meeting,

due to his special affection for and memory of the late Ingle Wright of that meeting and England.
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