The Parables of Jesus (playlist on my YouTube channel)

Explore my YouTube playlist featuring 27 Parables of Jesus—short, clear explanations with practical takeaways. Watch here.

Vocational Manifesto

As a seasoned senior scholar and teacher, known for linking the world of the Bible to contemporary struggles for justice and community, I am deeply committed to advancing human welfare.

[YouTube] A Critical Look into South Korea's Shifting Faith and Enduring Politics

Yoon’s declaration of martial law failed. This episode examines the history and work of protest movements in Korea as well as the mixed legacy of Christianity, shaped in part by its right‑wing ideology.

 

12.3 내란의 밤에 난 한국에 출장중이었다. 작년 12월3일 연세대에서 강연하고 피곤하여 일찍 잠들었는데 새벽에 깨어보니 급한 메시지가 미국 가족, 친구에게서 왔다. 괜찮냐고? 뉴스를 확인해본 결과 나는 초현실에 사는 것 같은 충격에 휩싸였다. 다행히도 12월4일 잡힌 이화여대 강의도 예정대로 진행되었다. 시민들의 차분한 대응과 야당의 단호한 의지와 행동으로 점차 안정을 찾아가고 있었다. 그리고 내란수괴 탄핵되는 날 국회앞에서 탄핵시위에 동참하면서 탄핵 가결 소식을 접하고 소리치고 춤추었다. 아직도 그 때의 기억은 나의 79학번 시절의 독재철폐 민주투쟁으로 연결되면서 트라우마이다. 그때의 이야기와 극우화된 기독교 문제, 한국의 민주화 정치에 대해 간단히 이야기해보았다. 영상의 사진은 내가 직접 여의도 행사에서 찍은 것이다. 이 비디오는 영어권을 위한 것이라 영어이다. 영어전문은 여기에 있다.

On the night of December 3rd, during the internal rebellion (self-coup), I was on a business trip in Korea. Last year, on December 3rd, after giving a lecture at Yonsei University, I was tired and went to bed early. When I woke up in the morning, I had urgent messages from family and friends in the US asking if I was okay. After checking the news, I was in shock as if I was living in a surreal world. Fortunately, my scheduled lecture at Ewha Womans University on December 4th proceeded as planned. Thanks to the calm response of the citizens and the firm will and actions of the opposition party, stability was gradually returning. And on the day the leader of the rebellion was impeached, I joined the impeachment protest in front of the National Assembly, heard the news of the impeachment's passage, and shouted and danced. That memory still connects to my democratic struggles against dictatorship during my 1979 university days, and it remains a trauma. I briefly discussed that story, the problem of the right-wing, Christian nationalist politics, and Korea's social movements. The photos in the video were taken by me directly at an event in Yoido. This video is intended for English speakers, so it is in English. The full English text is here.

Podcast episode: A Critical Look into South Korea's Shifting Faith and Enduring Politics

Yoon’s declaration of martial law failed. This episode examines the history and work of protest movements in Korea as well as the mixed legacy of Christianity, shaped in part by its right‑wing ideology. Transcripts

Christmas Cactus 2025, Richmond, VIRGINIA

  

A new book project (edited volume)

Rethinking Paul: Critical Conversations for Our World

Edited by Yung Suk Kim

"Mind"

 

Mental Strength

 

A Critical Look into South Korea's Shifting Faith and Enduring Politics

 

PDF | YouTube Video with Texts | Podcast

I am Yung Suk Kim, Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology in Virginia Union University.

To begin with, let me discuss the evolving landscape of Christianity in South Korea, a phenomenon deeply entwined with the nation's politics and social movements. I witnessed autocracy firsthand and protested as a college student in the 1970s. Decades have passed since then. Korea has since regained democracy amid significant challenges and, in the interim, transformed into an advanced economy, bringing K-pop and K-drama to the global stage. Much has transpired, rendering it, in many ways, a different country.  

While Christianity in Korea once enjoyed widespread popularity, its influence is now waning. It has largely lost its broad appeal, yet it often retains its rigid conservatism, largely aligning with right-wing ideologies. Of course, the situation is not monolithic. 

The podcast episode by "American Unexceptionalism" was engaging, informative, and thought-provoking. I listened with great interest and agree with Helen Kim and Ray Kim’s analysis of Christian nationalism in both the U.S. and South Korea.

I'd add that Korea is no longer the Christian “superpower” it was in the 1960s-80s. As of 2024 surveys, Protestants comprise about 17% of the population, Buddhists 16%, and Catholics 6%, while over 51% identify as non-religious. Among those under 29, only about 10% identify as Christian, indicating diminishing influence on younger people. I expect Korea will become largely secular, like much of Europe.

A significant bloc within Korean Protestantism aligns with Christian nationalist politics, supporting right-wing, anti-communist positions and Trumpism. This group comprises roughly 20% of the population, large enough to be politically consequential. While there are also liberal and dissenting Christians, they do not constitute a majority. Despite this, they are doing their best to improve Korean society and ensure social justice.

The host of the podcast questioned what sustained Korean democracy after Yoon's martial law. The answer isn’t simple, but two factors stand out. First, many in the 20–30s generation learned from their parents and schools about Korean pro-democracy struggles, including the Gwangju Democracy Movement, which claimed hundreds of lives under the military regime. Those memories informed broad civic mobilization, leading both older and younger citizens to take to the streets, drawing on lessons from history.

Indeed, I was in Seoul when Yoon declared martial law, out of the blue, on December 3, 2024. I was there for academic travels, lecturing, and other engagements. The experience left me devastated and plunged me into trauma. My anger was so profound that I even attended a large protest in front of the National Assembly when Yoon was impeached.

Second, within religious circles, a crucial driver has been the Group of Catholic Priests for Justice. Their longstanding advocacy gives Catholics a public image of their commitment to social justice and democratic integrity. By contrast, many conservative Protestant leaders are viewed as narrow, power-seeking, and corrupt—perceptions that have damaged their moral authority.

On a related historical note, Catholicism was present in Korea before the arrival of Protestant missionaries. Early American missionaries, including Methodists and Presbyterians, sowed the seeds of Christian conservatism, which laid the groundwork for much of the current mainline Christianity in Korea.

There’s much more to discuss on this topic. I also have a short article on Christianity in South Korea in the Cambridge Dictionary of Christianity, edited by Daniel Patte.

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Leaves fall like birds

On November 9, 2025, I observed leaves falling like birds in flight through the window of my study room, surrounded by feelings of awe and mystery, fascinated by their sudden dance in the wind, a simple yet rarely noticed act of nature.