Call mounting to deprive ex-torturer of pastorship

By Kim Rahn

Christian groups and citizens are denouncing a religious group’s “reckless granting” of pastorship after news that a former torturer became a pastor was made public.

They not only criticized the practice of giving out pastor jobs carelessly, but also demanded a Christian order cancel the pastorship for the former police Inspector Lee Geun-an.

The moves come following the death of former democracy activist Kim Geun-tae late last year. Kim’s aides believed that his brain disease and other illnesses were long-term side effects of Lee torturing him using water and electric shocks during an “investigation” into his protests against Chun Doo-hwan’s military regime in the 1980s.

Lee, who had been hiding to avoid arrest after democratization, claimed he surrendered himself to police when he embraced Christianity. Following seven years imprisonment, he became a pastor in 2008 after a Christian order ordained him. But he has made comments justifying his torture in interviews and confessions.

The Korean Association of Church Communication said that if Lee really repented his past, he should have shown a consistent attitude with his current faith.

“The Christian body is also to blame for doling out pastor jobs recklessly. It is a distortion of the pastorship granting system to give it to people who are not respected but rather criticized. Giving it without a thorough inspection of candidates will only damage Korean churches’ image. It is no different from simonism.”

It demanded Christian orders set stricter standards on ordaining pastors.

Two other groups, the Korean civic alliance for religious reformation and the council for movement to purify Korean churches, are collecting signatures online and offline to demand the order that ordained Lee to remove him from the position.

“Lee said he was forgiven by God. But he also said his past acts were out of patriotism and he would act no differently if he was in that situation again. A pastor should guide believers, so he or she should be someone full of faith. But Korean churches grant pastorship to anyone who completes a theology course,” the groups said in an online petition on Daum.

Kim Seong-guk, a member of the alliance, said a regular course to become a pastor takes more than 10 years, including study at theological universities and missionary work. “But most orders offer short-term courses of one or two years, or even six months. It is reported some orders give pastorships in return for money,” he said.

More than 1,800 Internet users signed up for the petition as of Wednesday.

“After collecting enough signatures, we’ll request the order dismiss Lee from the position. A pastor is in a position of speaking for God, not a means to ‘launder’ a cruel torturer’s past,” Kim said.

It is said that Lee talked about his past acts in several confession sessions he offered at churches across the country until recently. In one session, he said he didn’t torture the late Kim but threatened to do so, according to participants.