Pioneer of Korean Urban Poor Christian Ministry and Democracy Movement Rev. Park Hyung Kyu Passes Away

Programme Review and Programme Direction

Two key deliberative sessions during the 15th CCA General Assembly are the Programme Review and Programme Direction sessions.

The Programme Review and Programme Direction sessions will both be conducted in three groups relating to the CCA’s programme areas, namely, (i) General Secretariat (GS), (ii) Mission in Unity and Contextual Theology (MU) and Ecumenical Leadership Formation and Spirituality (EF); and (iii) Building Peace and Moving Beyond Conflicts (BP) and Prophetic Diakonia (PD).

Assembly participants will have the option to join one of three groups for both the Programme Review and Programme Direction sessions. For the sake of coherence, the assigned group will remain the same for both sessions.

General Secretariat

The General Secretariat oversees the coordination of programmatic, administrative, and financial activities of the organization. The GS comprises various departments such as church and ecumenical relations, relations with ecumenical partners, finance, administration, and communications, which provide crucial support and services for the implementation of programs and contribute to the overall functioning of the CCA.

Programmes: Relations with member churches and councils, ecumenical partners; advocacy at the United Nations; ecumenical responses to emerging issues in solidarity; income development and finance; and communications.

Mission in Unity and Contextual Theology (MU) and Ecumenical Leadership Formation and Spirituality (EF)

Under the MU programme area, the CCA accompanies Asian churches to strengthen their mission and witness in multi-religious contexts, revitalise and nurture church unity and the Asian ecumenical movement, and develop contextual theological foundations.

Programmes: Asian Movement for Christian Unity (AMCU); Congress of Asian Theologians (CATS); Asian women doing theology in the context of wider ecumenism; contextualisation of theology in Asia and ecumenical theological education.

The EF programme area focuses on nurturing and developing ecumenical leaders in Asia. The programme aims to enhance spiritual formation and theological understanding, enabling people to actively engage in ecumenical dialogue and collaboration.

Programmes: Ecumenical Enablers’ Training in Asia (EETA); Asian Ecumenical Institute (AEI); Youth and Women Leadership Development; Ecumenical Spirituality and Nurturing of Contextual Liturgical Traditions; Asia Sunday

Building Peace and Moving Beyond Conflicts (BP) and Prophetic Diakonia and Advocacy (PD)

The BP programme area is dedicated to promoting peace, justice, and reconciliation in Asia’s diverse contexts. Through training, advocacy, and dialogue, the programme addresses the root causes of conflicts, empowers communities, and fosters sustainable peacebuilding initiatives.

Programmes: Pastoral Solidarity Visits; Churches in Action for Moving Beyond Conflict and Resolution; Young Ambassadors of Peace in Asia (YAPA); Ecumenical Women’s Action Against Violence (EWAAV); Eco-Justice for Sustainable Peace in the Oikos.

The PD programme area focuses on promoting justice, human rights, and social transformation in Asia. Through advocacy, capacity-building, and raising awareness, the programme addresses systemic injustice, empowers marginalised communities, and advocates for prophetic actions and meaningful change.

Programmes: Human Rights advocacy; Migration, Statelessness, and Trafficking in Persons; Asian Ecumenical Disability Advocacy Network; Asian Advocacy Network on the Dignity and Rights of Children (AANDRoC); Ecumenical Solidarity Accompaniment and Diakonia in Asia (ESADA); Health and Healing; Good Governance; Action Together to Combat HIV and AIDS in Asia (ATCHAA).

No preference updated.

21 August 2016


Rev. Park 1

Rev. Park Hyung Kyu, a pioneer of the Korean churches’ ministry among the urban poor and a Christian leader who actively participated in the Korean democracy movement passed away on 18 August 2016. The octogenarian Christian leader served church and society in various capacities. He was moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Republic of Korea (PROK).

Rev. Park Hyung Kyu’s unique role in initiating Korean Christians’ early participation in people’s movement was widely recognised. He was the first chairperson of the Seoul Metropolitan Community Organizing (SMCO) committee, the forerunner of the Korean Urban Poor Mission movement, when it was officially founded in 1971. He led the Christian movement against political forces which oppressed the self-reliant life of the Korean people during the authoritarian military regimes in Korea in 1970’s and 1980’s.

In a condolence message, the General Secretary of Christian Conference of Asia Dr. Mathews George Chunakara described, Rev. Park Hyung Kyu, “a committed Christian leader, theologian, a tenacious fighter who stood for human dignity, and a political prisoner who epitomized the Korean Christians’ aspirations for a new church, new confession of faith, new theology and the process of the budding and growth of new actions based on their Christian faith and witness”.

Dr. Mathews George recollected the role of Rev. Park Hyung Kyu “in shaping the theological convictions and undergirding of churches participation in people’s struggle for freedom and human rights”.

He played a noteworthy role in developing the much publicised Theological Declaration of Korean Christians, issued in May 1973, which has been compared to the ‘Barmen Declaration’ of the German Churches under Hitler. The wide publicity and recognition to this document publicised by the Korean churches during the military dictatorship within and outside of the country disturbed the rulers and subsequently Rev. Park Kyung Kyu was arrested and imprisoned in July, 1973. The World Council of Churches and the churches in many parts of the world advocated for the release of Park Kyung Kyu.

In a meeting with the visiting delegation of WCC to Korea in early 2013, Rev. Park Hyung Kyu greatly acknowledged the role of the World Council of Churches and the international ecumenical community who came forward to condemn his arrest and imprisonmentas well as sustained advocacy forhis release from the prison.

Rev. Park Hyung Kyu served as a member of the team of ‘Standing Advisors to the Host Committee of WCC’s Tenth Assembly' held in Korea.

The funeral will be held in Seoul on Sunday 21 August.

Click here to read Condolence Message by CCA General Secretary Park Hyung Kyu 21 August 2016