Building Bridges Across Korea’s Religious Divide

The Unificationist who built religious bridges in a South Korea where denominational and ideological divisions have often been intense

An article by religion correspondent Jeong Seong-su (정성수) published by the South Korean daily Segye Ilbo on 21^st August 2026, looks back at the life of Lee Jae-seok (이재석 – 1933-2021), a  prominent figure in Unificationism (통일교) who spent decades trying to promote dialogue between the faith he had chosen and other religious communities in South Korea. Written by religion correspondent Jeong Seong-su (정성수), the article presents Lee’s story as an example of the difficulties – and possibilities – of religious reconciliation in a country where denominational and ideological divisions have often been intense.

See part 2: Crossing the Walls of Religion

For readers unfamiliar with Korea’s modern religious landscape, Lee’s story is particularly significant because it illustrates an unusual transition. He began his religious life as a committed member of Unificationism at a time when relations between the new religious movement founded by Sun Myung Moon (문선명 – 1920-2012) and established Protestant denominations were deeply antagonistic. Yet rather than responding to opposition by withdrawing into his own religious community, Lee eventually made dialogue with other faiths and religions one of the central aims of his life.

From law student to Unificationism evangelist

Lee was born in 1933 in rural Cheongyang County on the South Korean west coast. As a young man, he studied law at Chung-Ang University in Seoul and hoped to become a judge. While preparing for Korea’s highly competitive national civil-service examination, however, his plans changed.

In 1956, during his third year at university, Lee encountered Unificationism, then still a relatively small and persecuted religious organization. The encounter profoundly affected him. The following year, he became involved in evangelizing work in the city of Cheonan, about 80 km. south of Seoul.

His early commitment was intense. After completing a seven-day fast in the summer of 1957, he went to Cheonan, where he spent approximately ten months conducting outreach work, going from neighborhood to neighborhood and speaking with people about his faith.

At the time, the relationship between Unificationism and established Protestant churches was highly confrontational. Lee experienced this hostility personally. On one occasion, he visited a Presbyterian church and attempted to discuss religious doctrine with its pastor. Instead of engaging in a theological debate, the pastor reportedly denounced him as a heretic and expelled him from the church.

Yet these experiences of rejection would eventually lead Lee in a surprising direction.

Trying to build bridges

The decisive change came in the mid-1960s. By 1966, Lee was serving as pastor of Unificationism’s Third Church in Seoul. Rather than concentrating exclusively on the growth of his own denomination, he began seeking opportunities for contact with Protestant ministers outside Unificationism.

He helped organize joint revival meetings involving Protestant pastors and, in November 1966, participated in establishing an organization called the Headquarters for the Interdenominational Christian Movement. Its purpose was to encourage Christians from different denominations to meet and cooperate despite their doctrinal differences.

The organization’s first major initiative was a gathering for Christian ministers in Seoul. The organizers had not expected a particularly large response, but 180 pastors representing 27 denominations attended.

For Lee, this was evidence that many Christian leaders were willing to cross denominational boundaries if given an opportunity to meet directly.

The initiative also reflected a broader principle associated with Unificationism teachings: the idea that humanity should ultimately overcome divisions between denominations and religions in pursuit of peace and harmony. In this sense, Lee’s interdenominational activities represented not a departure from his religious convictions but an attempt to put them into practice.

The response, however, was far from uniformly positive.

“Who is doing it?” rather than “What is being done?”

Once the wider Protestant community became aware that the interdenominational movement was connected with Unificationism, opposition increased sharply. Planned joint revival meetings were cancelled, while some of the ministers who had initially participated withdrew.

Lee came to believe that the controversy revealed a deeper problem within Korean Christianity. As he later put it, he had discovered that people were often more concerned about “who is doing it” than “what is being done”.

In other words, the religious identity or institutional affiliation of the person proposing an initiative could matter more than the initiative itself.

This observation became an important theme in Lee’s subsequent efforts. He recognized that simply arguing that Unificationism was sincere in seeking dialogue would not be enough. Someone had to create opportunities for people on opposing sides actually to meet.

Continued in part 2: Crossing the Walls of Religion

Text: Knut Holdhus, editor

Featured image above: Lee Jae-seok (이재석 – 1933-2021). Photo: From front cover page of his autobiography from 2021, improved resolution by ChatGPT, August 2026. 

Related to building religious bridges in South Korea: At Issue: Religions Taking Reality Seriously

Also related to building religious bridges in South Korea: Religion Between Engagement and Withdrawal

Also related to building religious bridges in South Korea: State Failure and Non-State Peace Projects

And also related to building religious bridges in South Korea: Unificationism Emerging as a World Religion

More, related to building religious bridges in South Korea: Decline of Family Values Creates Social Crisis

Also related to building religious bridges in South Korea: Essence of God

More, related to building religious bridges in South Korea: God and Human Beings

Also related to building religious bridges in South Korea: The Kingdom of Heaven

And also related to building religious bridges in South Korea: True Love

More, related to building religious bridges in South Korea: The Value of the Family

And more, related to building religious bridges in South Korea: God’s ideal

Still more, related to building religious bridges in South Korea: God’s Sorrow

Yet more, related to building religious bridges in South Korea: Suffering of God

And yet more, related to building religious bridges in South Korea: Family values

Also related to building religious bridges in South Korea: Meaningful Marriage

More, related to building religious bridges in South Korea: Living for Others

More, related to building religious bridges in South Korea: Family as School of Love

More, related to building religious bridges in South Korea: Parents and Children

More, related to building religious bridges in South Korea: Teachings Make Great Strides in New Version

And more, related to building religious bridges in South Korea: In a Nutshell

Yet more, related to building religious bridges in South Korea: Brief about the Teachings

Still more, related to building religious bridges in South Korea: Relationships

Even more, related to building religious bridges in South Korea: Gender-Balanced Understanding of God and Christ

And yet more, related to building religious bridges in South Korea: God as Our Heavenly Parent (Father and Mother)

And still more, related to building religious bridges in South Korea: History of God: From Yahweh to Father to Parent

And even more, related to building religious bridges in South Korea: Religious Truth as Progressive Revelation

Also related to building religious bridges in South Korea: Essential Motherly Part of Messianic Mission

Also related to building religious bridges in South Korea: The 3 Blessings and the Process to Fulfil Them

Also related to building religious bridges in South Korea: Unification Principles