국가·여성·종교: 1960-1970년대 가족계획사업과 기독교 여성

Abstract

The 3rd Republic born of the military coup in May 1960 announced the first 5-year economic development plan in order to pacify people and to justify their regime. The development plan included the family planning program. At the beginning of the program, Christianity women did not support it out of the notion of prolificacy, preference for sons, and life ethics based on the Bible. For some reason, however, Christianity women began to participate in the program actively. The present study made an inquiry about the reason, and drew conclusions as follows. The reason that Korean Christianity decided to participate actively in the family planning program can be explained with the influence of WCC and American Christianity, communism, etc. Because WCC was led by American Christianity, it was highly influenced by the U.S. During the period of the cold war between the East and the West, the U.S. assumed the role of a steward for its allies in the West and responded very sensitively to the expansion of communist countries. American Christians analyzed that if they turn their face away from the churches in poor countries and communist countries, communists surely take control over them. Thus, they judged that it was more urgent to check the expansion of the communist power than to oppose blindly. Thus, American Christianity and WCC did not spare support to churches in communist countries and third-world countries. Korean Christians could not understand such a policy of WCC and American Christianity. Although they were absolutely dependent financially, they regarded the North Korean regime as Satan based on their experience in the Korean War. Korean Christians had extreme anti-communism. However, through the 1960s, Korean Christianity came to follow the line of WCC. It was because many problems arose from rapid industrialization and as a result they worried about the invasion of North Korea. Thus, they believed that Christianity should take the initiative in solving social problems. As a part of the switch of line, Korean Christianity declared its support to family planning in the 1970s. Until that time, Christian women had controlled pregnancy and childbirth privately but with a guilty sense. As NCC made the declaration, however, Christianity women felt free from the sense of guilty. It was because NCC justified family planning based on the Bible. As a result, Christianity women could participate in the family planning program openly. In addition, they realized that the biggest obstacle to the program was people’s preference for sons. They believed that the Family Law should be amended first for the success of the program. Although Christianity women could not take part in biblical interpretation or controversies for promoting the family planning program, they used it as an opportunity to enhance women’s legal status.