Around 2.1 million people joined in South Korea on Sunday October 27, for a joint worship service in Seoul, to affirm traditional marriage and family and pray for their nation.

The organisers said that an estimated 1.1 million participated onsite, while the other million did it online. According to the Yonhap news agency, citing police, about 230,000 people attended.

Anti-discrimination law

Korean Christian churches and individuals protested against an anti-discrimination law that acknowledged the rights of partners in same-sex couples to receive state health insurance.

For the spokesperson of the organising committee, Kim Jeong-hee, the verdict was unconstitutional because same-sex marriage has not been legalised, reported news agency Reuters.

“I think that would only be the starting point for same-sex marriage legalisation policy. We see this not simply as a Christian issue, but as a huge crisis that shakes our country's foundationn, pointed out Jeong-hee.

The organizing committee underlined the importance of the event for the Korean church “to reflect on its social responsibility and the essence of faith, and as a milestone that suggests the direction and role the Church should take”.

Protection of the family and the religious freedom

The churches that participated in the event issued a joint declaration that claims the protection of the family and everyone’s right to “freedom of religion, speech, thought, and expression”, as well as the church’s role as salt and light in society.

It also calls on the government, the Constitutional Court, the National Assembly and the ministry of education to refrain from enacting laws allowing gay marriage or promoting homosexuality and gender ideology through textbooks in schools.

“We do not hate homosexuals. We are not trying to tell them what to do and what not to do, but if these laws regarding gay marriage get passed in Korea, then the Christian church cannot stand up for what they believe in”, explained Hyun-bo So, senior pastor of Segero Church in Busan in an exclusive interview with Christian Daily International.

A call to not remain silent

There were 3 sermons during the service, which called the Church to not remain silent, so they could safeguard families and children, Christian Daily International reported.

Furthermore, speakers from the UK and Germany encouraged Korean Christians not to follow the same path as what they have seen in their own countries and instead be a beacon for churches around the world and shine the light of God’s truth.