Yet Alive sat down with pastor Lee Dong-Hwan to interview him about his experience. Rev. Lee has been a pastor in the Korean Methodist Church (KMC) for the last 10 years. In 2019, he accepted an invitation to give a blessing at a Pride festival in Incheon in Northeast South Korea. Even though he was not at that time an affirming pastor, he reasoned that blessing people was the least he could do. In response to this, however, he was suspended from his church by the KMC. He has since been involved in a legal battle, fighting both within the church and in the secular court to be reinstated to his pastorate. This struggle has made him a symbol for Christians in Korea struggling to build a church that is safe and healthy for queer people. We asked him about his story and how this experience has impacted his faith.
This interview was conducted in Korean and translated by interviewer HeeJun Yang with help from Cat Clyburn.
Q: Would you introduce yourself briefly to the English-speaking world Christian siblings?
My name is Lee Dong-Hwan. I am a pastor, and my appointment is at Yŏnggwang Cheil Methodist Church. I have been serving as an ordained elder in the Korean Methodist Church for the past 10 years. Also, over the past two years, since I have been involved in this trial, I have organized a group called Q&A, which stands for Queer & Ally, (https://qnaforchurch.creatorlink.net) to do ministry for queer people. Through this new institution, I learn, and I serve queer people in Korea.
Q: Please explain the situation for queer Christians in the Korean Methodist Church.
Simply, it is very bad. In Korea, we are in a beginning moment for discussing homosexuality. Especially in the KMC. In 2015, the Korean Methodist Church enacted the Homosexual Punishment Act in the Book of Discipline. According to Article 3, paragraph 8 of the Book of Discipline, the Korean Methodist Church may suspend or excommunicate someone if a person simply agrees with or supports homosexuality. This is an evil law because there is ambiguity; it’s hard to clearly say who “supports” this or who “agrees” about this. And, after this was enacted, there have been many people who have been punished.
In the case of the KMC, in order to be an ordained pastor, you have to pass an interview. In the interviews, they now specifically ask where a candidate stands on the issue of homosexuality. And if you support the issue, you will automatically fail. This means that if you answer honestly, you will get punished. This pressures many candidates for ordination to lie, due to the strength of this law. So, many hopeful pastors who do support queer people ultimately need to leave the church.
Because the situation is like this, there are many people leaving the church. Many pastors in Korea condemn homosexuality as a serious sin in the pulpit. Because gender and sexual minorities get condemned so often in the church, they feel really bad. They often get trauma, and some people develop patterns of self-harm or suicidal ideation. And there are some “rainbow churches” in Korea, but really very few. There are really very few pastors who can publicly support rainbow churches or queer people. I bet there are less than five pastors who can publicly support queer people. So queer people are really oppressed, and they don’t have many opportunities in Korean churches.
Q: After blessing at the 2019 Incheon Queer Culture Festival, the Korean Methodist Church sentenced you to a two-year suspension. Now, you have filed a petition in secular court to make the decision of the church invalid. What convinced you to be the symbol for this new movement in the Korean Methodist Church? How has God worked in your journey?
I just did the benediction, blessed queer people at the festival—and then, I was in a trial. When I first came before the trial, I was very scared and felt deeply burdened. I thought, “What am I going to do?” The most difficult part was a sense of loneliness and isolation. I was scared. However, I realized that there were more people who were brave enough to support me. For example, when I later had a special press conference where I was invited to express my opinion, there were more than 100 pastors and theologians who had attended to support me. Some pastors came to me and asked to be on my legal team for the trials. More than 30 pastors signed on to a statement of support.
So I learned the importance of solidarity for others because I saw hope from this. As you know, in Korea you have to be really brave to support the homosexuality issue. People who do so know that they will take on lots of disadvantages and often lose their job. After signing that statement of support, for example, some pastors got phone calls saying that unless they retract, they will lose financial support from the church.
I just began this new case in June, filing the petition in the secular court. However, in that time, I was charged by the KMC with three cases of disordering the church, under article 3 of the Discipline. This was because I participated in the queer festival in Seoul, and I also preached at a performance in support of queer people at Hanshin Seminary. [This was an event hosted by members of the Presbyterian Church of the Republic of Korea, which is considered the most progressive denomination in Korea.]
So, after my two-year suspension, I just returned to doing ministry at my parish, Yŏnggwang Cheil Methodist Church. But, because of these new cases, I am suspended again. For that, I really feel sorry to my congregation.
Q: What was the biggest hurt/pain in the process?
Again, one of the most difficult parts was a sense of isolation. I received a lot of swearing and curses. Really a lot. Some people called me in the middle of the night and prayed in tongues, and then hung up. And some left messages full of cursing and discouragement on my phone. So, I know that this is my own anxiety, but these days I feel like people on the street recognize me and talk about me behind my back. So, these days I am dealing with some social anxiety and public avoidance.
The toughest part is the changing attitude of my acquaintances and even some of my closest friends. One of my most respected colleague pastors told me “Just don’t make turmoil,” and he tried to talk me down. He told me, “Just apologize, just simply say no, and I will take care of it.” Also, some more distant colleagues called me–I don’t know where they heard about the case–and they tried to change my mind.
Despite everything, I think I have gotten to experience God’s mercy and blessing. Especially when I have received support from others and support from my closest people. This has become a huge strength for me. Especially the support from my family. My partner often gives me a stronger opinion. “You should go further!” she often says. Also, even though my parents are not well-versed in law and theology, they try to support me. This is huge for me.
Q: Many Korean Christians are still not affirming of LGBTQ+ people. What is your next step and thought for the Korean church?
First, it’s a burning situation to solve all my trials and cases. So I will focus on this. I wish the KMC can get rid of Article 3, Paragraph 8. Through my trial, I want to suggest the way the KMC should go.
Also for my ministry, and the ministry of Q&A, I want to offer education. People in Korea are so ignorant about homosexuality. Especially, the pastors are so biased and ignorant. They even lack common sense. And they think that they can fix homosexuality, and they still think it is a serious sin. So, I want to offer basic education, and fix wrong information, and teach them. And, I also want to provide a safe place for homosexual people themselves. So, in the Q&A ministry, we offer free counseling. We also provide a safe worship place—even in the midst of the oppression. We hope that this ministry will thrive in the coming years and decades, and provide a safe place for people.
Some people tell me that I should leave my denomination and do better ministry without restrictions. They ask me why I am still in the KMC. But, I think I love my denomination more than I think. I want to bring reformation and change in my home denomination. As long as they don’t kick me out, I want to work in my home denomination to change it. I’m also indebted to my home denomination’s love and theology.
Q: Introducing the unique situation of the Korean church, how should Christian siblings in the global world pray for you and the Korean church?
First, I want to try to learn. Many Western countries are 30 or 40 years ahead of us on this issue. We would like to learn how to improve human rights, especially for queer people. So, we are learning a lot from them, so that we can also make a better society in Korea. And, any kind of encouragement or support will be appreciated. Even from abroad, sometimes people give a message of encouragement. That is really powerful and helpful for us. And lastly, a sense of tiredness is really a problem. We want you to pray for us to not get tired so that we can keep moving forward.
Thank you for interviewing me.
The website for Q&A is here: https://qnaforchurch.creatorlink.net/. We encourage our readers to respond to Rev. Lee and stay connected with his work.
Yet Alive 