Minjung Art & Theology

Minjung theology can be said to be the original Korean theology. Just as Korean Christianity relies heavily on foreign missionaries, so they adhere to the doctrinal and biblical interpretations of "Western Christianity." In fact, after the Korean War in 1950s, the search for an identity for "original Korean theology" seemed to crystalized in the 1960s and resulted in Minjung theology around the 1970s.[1] From similar oppression in the Latin American context, Minjung theology adopts the notion of liberation, which is intertwined with Marxist understanding. Based on the theological sources, is not Minjung theology the same as a "Western product"? So does Minjung theology still deserve the title of "original Korean theology?"

            After the Korean War, Ahn Byung-Mu, the founder of Minjung theology, was worried about poverty and hunger, raising many theological questions. At the same time, Liberation Theology thrives in Latin America as if to provide theological responses in the context of oppression. Ahn created his own Liberation Christology set in a post-Korean War context. For him, Christ died with us not for us, likewise, Jesus Christ is present among the minjung.[2] He put his Protestant theological center on the oppressed people, where in the case of oppression, the oppressed are always placed at the margin.

            In the following decade, this Korean Liberation theology received international attention, and Minjung theology successfully influenced theologians and Christianity in Korea. As a result, the first-generation Minjung theologians also provoked Park Chung-hee's dictatorship because of their movement and solidarity with the minjung, such as the powerless, urban poor, laborers, and farmers. In the 1980s, the second period of Minjung theologians sadly got more attacks from the South Korean military government and pro-government agencies because they argued Minjung theology had a political and Marxism agenda.

In contrast, Minjung theology understands class is different from Liberation theology, and it is instead a theological perspective from the grassroots. Finally, Minjung theology lost momentum in late 1990 for two reasons. First, South Korea rapidly turns became more democratized. Second, megachurch, the Full Gospel, and other conservative ministers ride this worldwide sensation by spreading the gospel of success with promising earthly blessings.[3] Indeed Minjung Theology is indebted to Liberation theology which originated in Latin America, but what makes Minjung theology original from Korea lies in who the initiator was and what the background is, which is uniquely Korean. Minjung theology is proof of Korean theological independence, in contrast to before the Korean War. How about now? How has the shape of Minjung theology changed in the twenty-first century?

  Even though it has slowly left behind in Korean Christianity, Minjung theology is still being discussed among scholars and academic theology. Oppression and oppressed people still take place wherever and whenever, so Minjung theology can still have utility, both as historical wealth and intrinsic value in the Minjung theology itself. For instance, revisiting the Minjung movement from an art perspective is a breakthrough as a theological approach. From Wonhee Noh's painting, Street (Figure 1), Jae Ho Gil said, "These stories of suffering and resistance also become the biographies of God. The concomitant sense of nothingness enables Korean Christians to strive after salvific possibility through action for justice." [4]

Likewise, Volken Küster sees the Minjung art from the artwork and the artist itself. Küster tells the story of Hong Song-Dam, who is overshadowed by poverty and severe tuberculosis while studying fine arts. Meanwhile, Hong always gave shelter to social activists who ran away from the police and secret service. From that moment, Hong involves political stands in his artwork (Figure 2).[5] In Minjung theology, or specific Minjung Christology, Hong focus more on the cross (Figure 3). He connects the passion of Christ on the cross with the sufferings of Korean people at that time. In other words, the suffering of minjung does not in vain, as well symbolize the stigmata of Jesus Christ.[6] For this reason, these are the example of current Minjung theology.