Ministry Decision

[Anchor Lead]

The Presbyterian Church of Korea has decided to allow the Myungsung Presbyterian Church minister to pass down his main minister position to his son. The church's decision has prompted theology students to hold an emergency meeting and declare a joint strike.

[Pkg]

Seminary students dressed in black fill up the seats one by one. This is an emergency assembly to decide on a joint strike. The students gathered to oppose the Presbyterian Church's ruling that the succession of the head minister position between father and son in Myungsung Presbyterian Church was legal.

[Soundbite] Park Ju-man(Presbyterian Univ. and Theological Seminary) : "The theology department of the graduate school and the undergraduate colleges declare that a joint strike has been decided."

Students from the Gwangnaru Presbyterian Univ. and Theological Seminary plan to hold a general assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Korea and a candlelight cultural festival on September 10th. Several seminary professors are participating in the group opposing the transfer of the minister position at Myungsung Church. Six other Presbyterian universities are reportedly discussing whether or not they should join the strike. The court of the Presbyterian Church of Korea ruled earlier this month that the designation of Minister Kim Sam-hwan's son as the head minister of Myungsung Church was legal. The Church's constitution strictly limits the succession of church positions, but deemed that the son's recent appointment was not a succession since Minister Kim Sam-hwan had retired two years earlier. Clergymen belonging to the Presbyterian Church of Korea plan to hold a protest on September 3rd calling for the withdrawal of the Myungsung Church minister appointment.