Minjung Theology

Definition and Meaning

Minjung theology is a theology that emerged in South Korea in the 1970s. It regards the minjung (民衆, "the people")—those who are politically, economically, and socially oppressed and pushed to the margins—as both the starting point of theology and the subjects of history. It places the suffering of the minjung at the center of biblical interpretation and the practice of faith, and it understands salvation not as limited to the salvation of the individual soul but as also including liberation from social oppression. Although it is often discussed alongside Latin American liberation theology, it is generally presented as a distinctive theology rooted in Korean history and the traditions of the Korean people.

Biblical and Historical Background

Minjung theologians read the Exodus as the liberation of the Hebrews who had lived as slaves in Egypt, and they treat it as a central paradigm. They also draw on the words of the Old Testament prophets who called for social justice, such as Amos 5:24, as important support. Ahn Byung-mu interpreted the "crowd" (Greek ochlos) that followed Jesus in the Gospel of Mark as the minjung.

The historical background commonly cited includes the conditions faced by laborers and the urban poor under the Yushin regime, as well as the self-immolation of Jeon Tae-il in 1970. Writings published around 1975 by Ahn Byung-mu and Suh Nam-dong in Christian Thought (Gidokgyo Sasang) and other periodicals are generally regarded as the movement's starting point; both men were dismissed from their posts and imprisoned during this period. Suh Nam-dong argued for a "confluence of two stories," in which the biblical tradition and the tradition of the Korean minjung merge into one. He also made han (恨), the pent-up suffering of the people, a key concept. Others who took part in the movement included Hyun Young-hak, Suh Kwang-sun, and Kim Yong-bock, and some scholars hold that Ham Sok-hon's ssial thought influenced it.

Practice in the Korean Church

Minjung theology was received mainly within ecumenical circles, such as the Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea, Hanshin University, and the National Council of Churches in Korea. It developed in conjunction with industrial mission, mission among the urban poor, and the democratization movement, and it also took the form of "minjung churches" established in working-class and poor neighborhoods. In the 1980s it was introduced in English and became known in theological circles abroad.

Conservative Presbyterian denominations and evangelical theologians have long criticized it. Their main criticisms are threefold:

• It reads the Bible through a framework of social analysis and thereby alters the meaning of the text.
• By identifying Jesus with the minjung, it blurs Christology (the doctrine of Christ).
• It reduces sin and salvation to problems of social structure.

Proponents of minjung theology respond that the Bible itself bears witness to a God who stands on the side of the poor and oppressed, and that theology must begin from concrete situations of suffering. While some observers hold that its influence has declined since democratization, a new generation of theologians continues to carry its concerns forward.