Crossing the Walls of Religion

Building bridges where others saw walls: When religious rivals sat down together demonstrating the power of dialogue

Continued from part 1: Building Bridges Across Korea’s Religious Divide

As religion reporter Jeong Seong-su (정성수) decribed in the first part of his article in the South Korean daily newspaper Segye Ilbo on 21^st August, Lee Jae-seok (이재석), a devoted member of Unificationism (통일교) spent decades in an effort to build bridges of dialogue between the faith organization Sun Myung Moon (문선명) had founded in 1954 and other religious communities in South Korea. In a country where religious and ideological divides often have been difficult to cross.

The encounter with Kang Won-yong

After a series of setbacks, Lee therefore decided to approach Kang Won-yong (강원용), one of the most influential Protestant leaders in Korea at the time. His message was straightforward: whatever one’s opinion of Unificationism, it had become a significant presence in Korean society and could not simply be ignored.

Lee wanted to persuade Kang that opposition and isolation were not productive strategies, and that a new relationship based on mutual understanding and cooperation should be explored.

Kang’s busy schedule made a meeting difficult. When Lee learned that the Protestant leader would be travelling to Busan, he bought a ticket for the same flight. At Gimpo Airport, Lee approached him and explained that he had come because he wanted the opportunity to speak with him – even if that meant having the conversation aboard the airplane.

His persistence eventually produced a remarkable meeting.

An unprecedented religious encounter

In September 1968, a gathering took place at Academy House in Suyu-ri, Seoul. Thirty leaders from established Christian churches met with ten representatives of Unificationism, including Sun Myung Moon (문선명).

The meeting followed a formal program. Methodist theological leader Hong Hyeon-seol (홍현설) offered the opening prayer, Kang Won-yong (강원용) delivered the opening remarks, and Sun Myung Moon (문선명) gave greetings. Eu Hyo-won (유효원), then a leading figure in Unificationism, presented its teachings, known as the Unification Principles (통일원리), followed by questions and answers.

The encounter did not develop into a sustained institutional dialogue between the two sides. Nevertheless, the meeting itself was significant. At a time when Unificationism was frequently treated by its Protestant opponents as an organization to be rejected rather than engaged, representatives of the two sides had actually sat down together and listened to each other.

For Lee, this was precisely the kind of encounter he had been trying to make possible.

From Christian dialogue to interreligious cooperation

Lee’s ambitions eventually extended beyond relations between Christian denominations. He became involved in efforts to promote dialogue among different religions, working through the Korea Institute for the Study of Religious Problems, which brought together figures including Catholic and Anglican clergy.

In 1970, another important development followed. Unificationism became the eighth religious body to join what was then known as the Korean Association of Religious People, now the Korean Council of Religions (한국종교협의회).

This placed Unificationism alongside seven established religious traditions: Catholicism, Anglicanism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Cheondogyo (천도교) [See editor’s note 1 below], Won Buddhism (원불교) and Daejonggyo (대종교) [See editor’s note 2 below]. The significance was not that these religions had suddenly reached agreement on theology. Rather, they were participating in a common forum where representatives of different traditions could communicate and cooperate.

Lee later became chairman of the Council of Religions in 1988, bringing his decades-long commitment to interreligious engagement into a formal leadership role.

A broader lesson about religious pluralism

Segye Ilbo acknowledges that Lee’s activities and their historical significance can be viewed differently depending on one’s religious perspective. Nevertheless, the newspaper identifies one characteristic of his life as particularly clear: he refused to give up on dialogue.

The article argues that religious harmony should not be understood as eliminating theological differences. People do not have to agree about doctrine in order to recognize one another as neighbors or cooperate for the common good.

That message has relevance beyond Korea’s religious history. Contemporary societies continue to be divided by religion, politics, ideology and generational differences. People are often tempted to determine first which group someone belongs to before considering what that person is actually saying.

For Lee, the central question was therefore not simply whether people agreed, but whether they were willing to meet.

His life, as presented by Segye Ilbo, offers a particular answer to the question of how the social value of religion might be measured. It may not be measured only by the strength of a religious institution or the number of its followers, but also by its ability to lower barriers, create relationships and bring people into conversation.

For a member of a persecuted minority religion who had personally experienced rejection from established churches, Lee Jae-seok’s decision to spend his later life building bridges rather than reinforcing divisions was, in the newspaper’s telling, the most important expression of his faith.

His legacy can therefore be summed up in a single word: dialogue.

Lee Jae-seok (이재석) was blessed in marriage with Jeong Won-gang (정원강) as one of the 36 couples on 15^th May 1961. He served as the 5th president of the Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity (Unificationism or Unification Church) in Korea 1981–1988.

See also part 1: Building Bridges Across Korea’s Religious Divide

Text: Knut Holdhus, editor

Featured image above: Lee Jae-seok (이재석 – 1933-2021), here in 1981. Photo: FFWPU, improved resolution by Grok xAI, August 2026.

[Editor’s note 1: Cheondogyo or Cheondoism (천도교, “Religion of the Heavenly Way”) is a Korean religion that developed from the earlier Donghak (“Eastern Learning”) movement. In 1905, the movement was reorganized and renamed by Son Byeong-hui (손병희 – 1861-1922) to emphasize its spiritual character and adapt to the changing political conditions of Korea under increasing foreign domination.

The central doctrine of Cheondogyo is Innaecheon (“Humanity is Heaven”), the belief that the divine resides within every human being. As a result, all people possess inherent dignity and should be treated with respect and equality. Cheondogyo stresses moral cultivation, social responsibility, and the improvement of society through ethical action rather than withdrawal from the world.

Unlike many religions that sharply separate the sacred and the secular, Cheondogyo teaches that everyday life is the proper arena for spiritual practice. Historically, its followers played a significant role in Korea’s modernization and independence movement, including participation in the March First Movement against Japanese colonial rule.

Today, Cheondogyo remains one of Korea’s indigenous religions, preserving the humanistic and reformist ideals inherited from Donghak.]

[Editor’s note 2: Daejonggyo or Daejongism (대종교) is a modern Korean nationalist religion founded by Na Cheol (나철 – 羅喆) in 1909 that venerates the legendary progenitor Dangun (단군) as a divine ancestor, emphasizing Korean identity, ethical living, reverence for Korea’s divine origins, and spiritual renewal rooted in indigenous traditions.]

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