Ham Sok Hon Voice of the People and Pioneer of Religious Pluralism in Twentieth Century Korea

Dear Sungsoo

Thank you so much for lending me your book. To say I enjoyed it would be an understatement! Its insights will stay with me. I’m sending my thoughts immediately after finishing it. I hope you won’t mind.

Warm wishes

Jean Harbour, a Leicester Quaker

Ham Sok Hon Voice of the People and Pioneer of Religious Pluralism in Twentieth Century Korea

by Kim Sung Soo

This book documents the life of Ham Sok Hon and also gives an account of the turbulent and challenging political events that formed a backdrop to his life.

Western societies, post Freud, have become focussed on the development of the individual. It was refreshing to observe how Ham’s emphasis on the importance of the individual within society led to a humanitarian outlook where the good of society superseded that of the individual. In the context of salvation Ham believed that it should be available to all, not the private pursuit of the individual.

Ham Sok Hon is described as a man who is constantly searching for new insights and his breadth of vision encompasses a lack of exclusivity as he culls ideas from a wide range of sources. He believed that Taoists, Buddhists and Christians were moving towards the same place. Liberty and equality for everyone were fundamental to Ham’s thinking.

Ham’s humility and his constant searching are exemplified in his story of a man following two people towards a mountain. He would observe the good in one and copy it and then correct in himself the bad traits he saw in the other.

The faults and failings of Ham are not overlooked and weighed heavily on him. It is a pity he was unable to forgive himself for being human but happily he found acceptance and f/Friendship among the Quakers.

Ham left a huge legacy of new insights, not just to the Korean People but to anyone fortunate enough read about and thereby share his personal vision.