Korean student ends fast as school announces optional chapel attendance

Seoul, South Korea – A high–school student in South Korea persuaded the administration body of his school to accept his demand for optional chapel attendance for all 1,400 of its students thereby bringing "religious freedom" to his school. Incidentally, this was achieved through a protest fast, a campaign some educators and civil groups applauded.

Gang Eui–Suck, a student at Daekwang High School in Seoul, ended his 46–day fast on Sept. 25 after the protestant–run school administration announced that they had decided to end mandatory chapel attendance and give all students the right to decide their participation in the weekly prayer meeting.

In the process of gaining religious freedom for students, the 18–year–old went from 77 kilograms to 50 kilograms and was hospitalized.

Gang later disclosed that the problem is not religion itself but enforcement of specific religious activities on students who are powerless to reject them.

"In my school, we have one hour of chapel and one hour of preaching once a week and every morning there is the 'minimized chapel–type' liturgy of 5–10 minutes. We are forced to attend all the events and pray out loud individually," he said.

Under the Korean education system, the government assigns students to a school based on geographic proximity to the school and academic record. Religious affiliation of the school or student usually is not a consideration.

Gang, who had recovered from the ordeal soon thereafter, hoped that his and other schools will offer alternatives for those who do not want to attend chapel services.

He said that he and other members of his family profess no religion, except for his father, who is a Protestant.

Kwon Jin–kwan, co–chairperson of the Civil Network for Religious Freedom in Schools, said that Gang achieved a positive result for all students in the country by risking his life through a protest.

"In Gang's case, compulsory chapel attendance in a religious private school was stopped, but many of them, including leading universities, still continue it," he pointed out. He praised the official of Gang's school for making a good decision.

Kwon, 52, teaches theology at an Anglican Church–run university. He said his network of 16 NGOs formed when Gang's fast became critical and some people realized the issue of freedom of religion in schools needed public attention. The network raised the question of whether enforcement of religious practice at schools violated the constitution.

As of August 2004, according to the Ministry of Education, religious groups ran 236 high schools with 232,860 students. According to the data, 37 percent of the students shared the same religion as their school. About 25 percent professed a different religion, while 38 percent did not profess a religion.

The Korean Teachers and Educational Workers' Union issued a statement on Sept. 25 calling the decision of the Daekwang High School administration "very meaningful." The statement said the decision was made in light of Gang's health, and out of respect and love for human life transcending differences of religious belief and attitude.

Gang started his campaign in mid–June through a public announcement that he made on his school's loudspeaker system. The school administration attempted to persuade him to transfer to another school, but he rejected the proposal and was removed from the school in early July.

He also protested against the school authority by performing a "one–person demonstration" in front of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education. He filed a case with the National Human Rights Commission and requested an injunction in a Seoul court to restore his name to the school rolls.

He began his protest fast on August 11. An injunction to return his name to the rolls was granted by the court at the end of August. The school allowed him free choice in the matter of chapel attendance, but he continued fasting for "all students' right to decide whether or not to attend chapel."

Brother John Vianney Ahn Byeong–cho, secretary of the Association of Catholic Education Foundations (ACEF) said that individual student's rights should be respected, but a "mission school" also has rights and responsibilities to pursue its mission work.

"I understand that there is 'a little pressure' to attend religious events in Catholic–run schools, but it is acceptable to most of their students," he said.

Regarding the case of Gang, the Marist brother said he would not comment on the high school's decision on free choice of chapel attendance. He said it is another religion's business and came out of a "conflict between individual rights to religious freedom and a school's mission work."

According to the Education Ministry, 46 percent of the 2,031 high schools in the country are run privately.