N E W S B R E A K
Adventist Conscientious Objector Jailed in South Korea
South Korean military court has sentenced a 22-year-old Seventh-day Adventist to a three-year prison term for refusing to bear arms in his military service training.
Young-chul Yoon, who was sentenced March 29, was called up for mandatory military instruction two years into his theology training at Sahmyook University, an Adventist school in Seoul. According to Adventist officials, Yoon is just one of many thousands of conscientious objectors in South Korea who are forced to choose between compromising their moral convictions or serving time in prison.
South Korea's military conscription law makes no provisions for conscientious objectors--those who reject military service on the basis of their religious or ethical beliefs. An estimated 10,000 conscientious objectors in South Korea have served time in prison. More than 500 young men, the majority of them Jehovah's Witnesses, are sent to prison each year.
Despite these figures, human rights advocates point to recent signs that the status of conscientious objectors in South Korea may soon be reviewed. In late January, Senior Judge Park Si-hwan of the Seoul District Court sent Section 88 of the Military Service Law to the Constitutional Court for review. The court action was taken in response to a petition by 21-year-old Kyung-su Lee, a conscientious objector and Jehovah's Witness, who had spent 40 days in prison.
The district court judge said there is "high possibility" that parts of the military service law violates basic rights guaranteed under the Constitution, especially the right to freedom of conscience, thought, and religion. Although affirming the necessity of military service, the judge added: "On the other hand, the freedom of thought and conscience is also recognized as a core basic right, which forms the basis of free and democratic order, and freedom of religion is also an important basic right, which is recognized by all free democratic states." Noting that many other countries recognize conscientious objectors as special cases under the law, the judge said it was time for Korea to consider doing the same.
Under South Korean law, all male youths are required to perform military service for an average of 26 months. Civilian forms of service are available only to those with health problems, while those with serious disabilities are excused.--Adventist News Network
Leader in East Africa Calls for Spiritual Renewal
Spiritual commitment, not statistics, is the true measure of the strength of a church, according to Pastor Pardon Mwansa, president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Eastern Africa. Speaking to more than 600 church leaders in Eldoret, Kenya, Mwansa urged administrators and pastors to take up the challenge of helping church members grow spiritually. "It is our responsibility as leaders of the church in this territory to make our members come to the place where we are committed," said Mwansa.
With 700,000 church members, the East Africa Union, or administrative district, is the largest single union of the Adventist world church. Mwansa noted that while the East Africa Union has had the highest rate of baptisms within the region over the past several years, it has also had the highest rate of those leaving the church.
"Many of our members love the message of the church but are not committed to it in their practical day-to-day living," said Mwansa. "It is our responsibility as leaders of the church in this territory to make our members come to the place where we are committed.
"Success will not come primarily because of our experience, or our preparations, or our strength as a union," he added, "but rather as we make God our hope."
Mwansa made his comments during his keynote address at a seven-day gathering of East African church leaders and pastors March 24 to 31. Delegates met on the campus of the Adventist University of Eastern Africa, Barton, for a leadership training conference and for the launch of the region's "five focus issues"--spirituality, soul winning, unity, leadership, and self-reliance.
The East Africa Union includes the countries of Kenya and Somalia, where 700,000 Adventist believers worship each week in some 8,000 churches and companies.--Adventist News Network
News Notes
On July 1, Lawrence T. Geraty, president of La Sierra University in Riverside, California, will become the next president of the American Schools of Oriental Research (ASOR), the professional organization of archaeologists working in the Middle East. Geraty has been a member of the Biblical Archaeology Review Editorial Advisory Board and has long been associated with American excavations in Jordan.
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