현재와 미래의 북한교회 유형과 한국교회의 과제

Abstract

This paper proposes the present and future types of North Korean churches and challenges for South Korean churches in relation to the recent discourse on establishing churches in North Korea. The issue of establishing churches in North Korea is closely related to the changing aspects of inter-Korean relations; thus this paper focuses on presenting the types of churches that can appear in North Korea during the post-socialist system transition. Currently, there are four main types of churches in North Korea: the first is the so-called ‘stump’ church, the second is the underground church, the third is the official church, and the fourth is the South Korean and overseas Christian-centered church. Since each type of church exists in the very special and restrictive environment of North Korea, it inevitably has practical limitations in terms of ecclesiology. Nevertheless, by examining the characteristics of each type of church, the ways various churches exist in North Korea are summarized. The types of North Korean churches in the future are divided into six major categories and presented with the phases and characteristics of the post-socialist transition process in mind. The first is an ‘extended’ South Korean and overseas Christian-centered church, the second is a church targeting North Koreans abroad, the third is a North Korean-style ‘Three-Self’ church, the fourth is a social welfare- centered missionary church, and the fifth is an ‘extended’ underground church. The last is a so-called ‘Korean Peninsula church.’ The Korean Peninsula church assumes churches that will be established in a situation where complete religious freedom is given to North Korea. Based on this classification by type, research topics related to the establishment of churches in North Korea and major tasks that the Korean church must bear in order to fully plant the gospel in the hearts of North Koreans are presented.