Liberty hosts Unify Korea event in anticipation of 80th anniversary of freedom from Japanese occupation

Liberty University hosted a Unify Korea event in the Center for Music & the Worship Arts, Concert Hall on Friday, highlighting the plight of North Korean refugees and urging students to continue praying for freedom in the country.

The “200 days to 80 years of 815” refers to the 200 days until the 80th anniversary of Korean freedom from Japanese control, which occurred Aug. 15, 1945, and its subsequent division into two separate countries.

Held through a partnership between LU One, the Unify Korea student club, and the John W. Rawlings School of Divinity, the evening featured a panel discussion with several North Korean defectors — Pastor Gyungbae Ju, missionary B.B. Kim, and movie director Gyumin Kim — and Tony Kim, a Korean American professor who was detained in North Korea for over a year in 2017.

These guests were joined on stage by Morse Tan, Liberty’s senior executive director of the Center for Law & Government and former Ambassador At Large for the U.S. State Department, along with Global Studies Professor Dr. Tim Chang, a native of South Korea.

School of Divinity Dean Dr. Troy Temple opened the event in prayer and encouraged students to consider what God may be prodding them to learn and do because of the event.

“We have the blessing of the redemption of the cross. It is a calling for us to be a blessing to others,” Temple said. “In this endeavor, we want to see the people of North Korea and South Korea be able to celebrate that blessing and that redemption that is realized across that whole part of the world. What an incredible impact has been realized (by the Gospel) and will continue to be realized, even in the face of such persecution and so many trials.”

Providing a brief history of the Korean peninsula, Tan noted the integral role Christianity has played in Korean society over the past century. Despite South Korea’s continued advancement of the Gospel, he said North Korea is now one of the biggest persecutors of Christians in the world. Tan also argued that South Korea may soon face the threat of annexation with their northern neighbors, which in turn would put even more lives and freedoms at risk.

“South Korea is on the edge of a cliff right now. Please pray. Please pray. In the midst of this crisis, God can work,” Tan said. “In the midst of this crisis, He can bring spiritual awakening. I believe the Lord is able to bring about the reunification of the Korean peninsula and bring about a major move for His Kingdom toward the completion of the Great Commission.”

Through the help of interpreter Hyebin Lee, panelists then shared their experiences fleeing Korea and their continued work in seeing North Koreans find freedom.

Gyungbae Ju spoke about leaving North Korea for its southern neighbor in 2008. Although he found much prosperity in South Korea, he originally struggled with the guilt of leaving behind his three children, whose safety may have been jeopardized in the trip. After a supernatural experience from God, he found peace, and he now lives with his family in South Korea.

B.B. Kim likewise shared her journey from being enslaved in human trafficking after going to China, to receiving a forced abortion at the hands of the Chinese government, to enduring imprisonment in North Korea and even sharing the Gospel with fellow prisoners before her eventual escape. She also lives in South Korea and actively works toward North Korean liberation by proclaiming the Word of God.

Gyumin Kim spoke about his time as a North Korean revolutionary before being sentenced to public execution for his crimes against the state. Ten days before his scheduled execution, he intentionally swallowed a long nail, causing him to pass out. Waking up in a hospital, Gyumin Kim fled to South Korea, where he now directs films highlighting the plight of those under the North Korean regime.

Friday’s event also featured an extended time of prayer and worship centered on the hope of three eventual realities: freedom in North Korea, the reunification of Korea, and the expectation that Korea will one day be a light to the nations.

The event concluded with a time of fellowship where students could meet with special guests and enjoy authentic Korean street food.

“On the largest picture, our loyalty to Jesus Christ and to Training Champions for Christ means obeying the Great Commission,” Chang said after the event. “We all connect on that level. Specifically, on connecting with Korea, Liberty has a long history with South Korea and has been praying for North Korea.”

“These events fit together well with the idea that we are to be Champions for Christ, not just for Korea, or for two or three countries we favor, but we want to do that for all the nations,” he added. “We want to work for the nations that God has brought to our doorstep. I’m trying to bring Korea to our doorstep to see what we can do, especially with a focus on North Korea.”

Last September, Liberty held the second annual Unify Korea Summit, with messages presented by South Korean-born Canadian Pastor Hyeon Soo Lim and Caleb Mission founder and human rights activist Pastor Seungeun Kim.

Pre-law senior James Gengaro, president of the Unify Korea student club, noted the important role these events play in educating Liberty students on global issues.

“I think a lot of this is for students to be pursued, pushed, and inspired by global missions, as well as be awakened to what is outside not only the ‘Liberty bubble,’ but also the bubble we form with the news in the United States where we know so much about what is going on here but we lose focus on the world and the global calling of the Great Commission,” he said.

International relations senior Unbi Choi, vice president of the club, shared her motivation behind championing North Korean freedom from a faith perspective and argued the eventual fight for freedom must remain rooted in a passion to follow Christ instead of merely used as a license to do whatever one wants.

“What we want to do is make sure that freedom is always coming from God and a biblical worldview,” she said. “There are a lot of North Korean human rights organizations or school clubs in universities. The spiritual side is what separates us from other clubs. We pray for God to bring freedom because our freedom belongs only to Him, not to our desires.”

A Korean Japanese student herself, Choi joined Gengaro in leading a prayer session in Korean.

Liberty’s Unify Korea student club exists as a branch of the North Korea Peace Initiative with the goal of seeing North and South Korea united. Members meet regularly for prayer sessions and educational meetings. Students interested in joining can visit the club’s Instagram page or email jegengaro@liberty.edu.