The Cultural Advisory Council Welcomes South Korea
The Cultural Advisory Council Welcomes South Korea
By Jisoo Han, Seoul, South Korea
I am a 40-year-old Urantia Book reader living in South Korea. Earlier this year, I was honored to be invited by Tamara Strumfeld to join the Cultural Advisory Council of Urantia Foundation. I would like to share my personal experiences within the Urantia communities in both Korea and the United States, as well as the current state of the Urantia community in Korea.
I discovered The Urantia Book in 2010, shortly after going through a very difficult time. The book provided me with great comfort, like finding a light in the darkness. After reading it, I wanted to meet other readers, so I searched for Urantia groups in Korea and participated in a Seoul International Book Fair, where I met other readers. I also attended a study group where passionate discussions took place. While I wasn't fully accustomed to such heated debates, I enjoyed meeting other readers.
In 2013, I moved to the United States for graduate school and attended several Urantia meetings, which had a more enjoyable atmosphere compared to those in my hometown. In the US, I participated in various study groups and attended large group meetings whenever they occurred. At that time, I was searching for “proof.” I wanted to see people who perfectly embodied the truths from The Urantia Book. My desire to meet “angel-like people” who had read The Urantia Book caused me inner turmoil. Despite receiving the great gift of epochal revelation, I struggled with my own selfishness and lack of love for my neighbors, which led me to distance myself from the book.
In 2019, after facing another difficult situation, I returned to Korea. Feeling emotionally troubled, I naturally sought out the Urantia community again and found the warm brotherhood I was looking for in a new community. Sharing the life of Jesus as depicted in The Urantia Book with people who love God and others, I once again experienced healing and growth.
At this point, I need to explain a bit about my home country, South Korea. Korea is a country with a very dynamic modern history. For nearly 5,000 years, Korea was known as a “homogeneous nation” that was not under foreign rule. However, in the last century, it experienced a painful history, including Japanese colonization, civil war, and division. Following this, Korea achieved remarkable growth, known as the “Miracle on the Han River.” Behind the K-pop and K-drama that you see today, countless Koreans have worked tirelessly, making sacrifices to achieve this progress.
Religiously, Korea has traditional beliefs such as Shamanism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. Christianity was introduced by missionaries in the seventeenth century and now accounts for over 70% of the religious population. The global trend of “nonreligion” is rapidly appearing in Korea as well, with 50% identifying as nonreligious. However, many of my friends who say they have no religion fall into the category of “not religious, but spiritual.”
In such a dynamic Korea, it is not surprising that the first translation of The Urantia Book in the East was published by Urantia Foundation in 2000. This was followed by several other translations (three in print, over four online only), various YouTube channels, multiple study groups, and perhaps the world's only Urantia church. The reader community in Korea is gradually growing with new readers, and longtime readers are striving to practice brotherhood through various activities and new organizational structures. I am slowly realizing that the “angel-like people” I have been searching for actually evolve with those who love God as Father and others as brothers.
