Korea belongs to the Koreans

Many Americans assume that Japan’s occupation of Korea began at the beginning of WWII. However, Japan cruelly dominated Korea for well over 40 years, long before WWII. Koreans were treated as secondary citizens in their own country—not allowed to speak their own language, where traditional clothing, deprived of their own history, and were forced to change their surnames to Japanese. During WWII, Korean girls were exploited and their sons forced to fight for the Japanese army.

During this time, many Koreans living in the north were influenced by the communist Russia, who spread unfounded rumors that the United States supported the Japanese. As a result, American Christian missionaries were brought under suspension. On the contrary, many Christians supported a Korean government and hid important documents within churches.

When Japan surrendered in 1945, Korea was liberated from their oppressors; however, they had not ruled their own country for years. The novel “Divided Family” by Taiwon Koh describes the following reaction of her countrymen:

They waved large flags both American and Russian. Welcome America! Welcome Russia! We neither knew nor cared which ally was coming or where he would stay. We were merely grateful to be liberated.

A government alone cannot build a country and Korea does not have anything of their own any longer. We will have to have help in defending ourselves and establishing a new economy. Who would help? China, Russia, the United States? We didn’t know the difference between patriotism and communism.

We all know the end of this story: Russia helped establish Korean communist leader in the north and the United States helped establish democracy in the south.

All Koreans lost the unification of Korea.

Now we seem to be at a critical time in history, and again people are concerned about the unanswered question: who will rule North Korea?

No one mentions the thousand of North Koreans who are unjustly imprisoned in labor camps. Many of them generational prisoners, paying for the sins of their forefathers.

No one mentions the starvation and inhumane treatment of its own citizens.

And, certainly no one mentions the separation of family and the despair that divides the two countries.

But, the threat of a nuclear attack takes presedence. . . And the reunification of Korea becomes a dismal thought.

We need divine intervention.

I choose to no longer to defer to Korea as two countries but one Korea. I have faith in Koreans—God will give them their country.

Banned by the Japanese, the following hymn best describes the longing of Koreans. The artistry was captured in a Women’s Training School in Ewha (translated in “Divided Family”):

“Three Thousand Lees of Peninsula”

Beautiful land, our land, given by God.

Our Father is calling us workers. From all corners of this land.

And there is much work to be done in this land. Who will answer His call today?

IT IS US! IT IS US! LET US GO! LET US GO!

To work for our land, three thousand Lees of our land.

We received a call from God! Let us go! To work for our land, beautiful land.

BEAUTIFUL LAND! OUR LAND! GIVEN BY GOD!

Korea belongs to the Koreans!!!!!