Every weekend, “Save Korea” rallies to save the nation are burning with fervor, centered in major cities across the country. From Yeouido in Seoul to Busan, Daegu, and Gwangju, vast crowds are gathering to worship, and the squares are filled with voices calling for the protection of constitutional order and the restoration of normalcy. I, too, have been participating by leaving comments on live broadcasts, and with each passing week, I’ve felt the scale of these gatherings and their fervor growing noticeably. Watching citizens come together across political divides and generations—united by the values of fairness and common sense—to resist threats to the system, my heart burned with passion, yet I was also overcome with regret at not being able to set foot in that dynamic scene myself. In particular, since the recent political crisis, the mobilization of conservative Christian citizens—which had previously been limited to the cries of a minority—has gained full momentum. Above all, seeing the younger generation in their 20s and 30s awaken and confidently raise their voices alongside the older generation has presented me—as someone in my 40s—with a profound challenge and a sense of shame, just as it has for numerous intellectuals, including popular history lecturers, who have spoken out.
Among the 40s and 50s generation—who currently form the mainstream of our society—it is not difficult to find people with ideological biases right around us. In fact, I, too, was once unaware of just how skewed my own values had become. Looking back, the root cause lay in the contradiction of simultaneously holding onto spiritual, biblical values and materialistic, atheistic values. I used to dismiss the words of Genesis as merely a beautiful creation story while blindly trusting the scientific methodology of evolution; I would claim that my children’s spiritual growth was important, yet put their faith on hold so it wouldn’t interfere with their weekend tutoring schedules—that was the contradictory person I used to be. Under the pretext that church and politics must be strictly separated, I refrained from forming an opinion on a critical impeachment trial concerning the state of the nation. Yet, at the same time, I fell into the delusion of unconditionally supporting a certain political party—merely because it was labeled “progressive and democratic”—even though it proposed bills that threatened to curtail religious and free speech rights and undermined national security. I had overlooked the fact that the ideology underlying that party could become the very force that suppresses our freedoms.
Recently, I got in touch with an old acquaintance for the first time in a long while. During our conversation, he shared the heartbreaking news that he had been removed from a key position due to a recent organizational restructuring at his company and had been demoted to a less prominent role. However, he shifted the focus of our conversation to the current political situation, venting his anger at the conduct of the president and the highest echelons of power, and directing sharp criticism toward the citizens who support them. Furthermore, he attributed the economic hardship he was facing—specifically, the increased burden of tuition for his child studying in the U.S. due to the rising exchange rate caused by political turmoil—entirely to the current administration. I cautiously explained to him that his personal circumstances and the stress he was facing within his organization might have somewhat narrowed his perspective on the world. I advised him that, just as we must distinguish between the figure of Trump in the U.S. and the contemporary trend of “Trumpism” that supports him, we must also look beyond personal likes and dislikes in domestic politics and objectively analyze the essence of government policies.
I confessed that it was only after I shifted my career path from an employee to a self-employed individual and faced the harsh realities of the market that I truly came to appreciate the importance of government policy and that my perspective on society and the economy had changed. Most salaried workers, operating within a fixed organizational system, tend to fall into a superficial mindset where their thinking becomes somewhat complacent once payday rolls around each month. From a macroeconomic perspective, the rise in the dollar-won exchange rate goes beyond mere domestic political factors; it is the result of a massive financial mechanism driving capital flows as the interest rate gap between the United States and South Korea widens. Furthermore, some ideologues, trapped in a distorted sense of superiority, often exhibit the contradictions of the so-called “Gangnam Left”: outwardly advocating for policies for the working class and real estate regulations, while inwardly yearning to become wealthy property owners in Gangnam; and criticizing the public education system while sending their own children to study in the United States. By fully enjoying the benefits provided by the liberal democratic system while shirking the accompanying responsibilities and obligations, they are ultimately undermining the healthy foundations of society.
When the state of emergency was first declared, the political landscape was engulfed in extreme chaos, and the opposition camp was elated, believing they could finally bring to fruition the impeachment process they had been planning for a long time. Even when the president was charged with serious crimes based on unverified testimonies and biased circumstantial evidence and physically detained in a detention center, it seemed as though the fate of the system was sealed. However, a dramatic turnaround began as a massive structural entity—which had long controlled the nation’s key constitutional institutions and electoral system—came to light, and as awakened citizens, including those in their 20s and 30s, began to recognize that this entity was operating according to a meticulously crafted scenario. It was truly God’s providence that the initially faint cries of patriotic citizens spread into a massive spiritual wave known as the nationwide “Save Korea” prayer movement. Ultimately, after a legal battle over the validity of his detention, the president was released from custody 41 days after his arrest and returned to the presidential residence. While countless citizens were deeply moved and welcomed the president’s reflection that he had meditated deeply on the Bible while in detention, my acquaintance may have felt even more uneasy upon seeing this, thinking that his own logic had been refuted.
The fundamental reason for his intense anger is likely his difficulty in letting go of his preconception that he is right and his pride. There may be an underlying, unconscious fear that the moment he admits he is wrong, his very existence could be denied or deemed unforgivable. However, I wanted to share with him the truth of the Gospel: that Jesus Christ has already borne all our weaknesses and sins on the cross and proclaimed complete forgiveness. I wanted to tell him that the hidden truth begins to emerge only when it is preceded by thorough self-reflection—acknowledging that “I, too, can be wrong”—and by the holy humility that recognizes I am not the center of this world. Only after passing through the painful tunnel of repentance—where one tears down one’s own standards of worth and confesses before the Creator that one is a true sinner—can one finally obtain the supernatural peace and true freedom that God pours out.
Early this morning, I meditated deeply on the parable of the “servant who owed 10,000 talents” found in Matthew 18. That servant—who, despite having his immense debt of grace, impossible to repay in a lifetime, forgiven by his master, ultimately met a tragic end because he could not forgive a fellow servant who owed him a mere “100 denarii”—embodies the very stubbornness of us humans. Today, too, I woke up at 4:30 a.m. to pray for the nation’s well-being and, with tears streaming down my face, to pray earnestly for the soul of that acquaintance who is so very much on my mind, as I leave a record of truth on this blog. I am starting this precious day, granted by grace, with vigor.
Deliveryman's Blog 
Leave a comment