Song Kang Ho

South Korean Peace Activist

Ecumenical Advocacy Days will feature Song Kang Ho as part of the plenary on Militarism and Peacemaking on Wednesday, April 26.

He is a South Korean peace activist, author, theologian and founder of The Frontiers, a Christian peacemaker team that dispatches peace workers to refugee camps and provides services to conscientious objectors.

Inspired by the Mennonites, Song Kang Ho deepened his understanding of the gospel of peace during the five years he lived with members of Bammental Mennonite Church in Germany. While there he preached, pursued a doctorate in theology at Heidelberg University, and committed his life to working for those victimized by war and the military. He also visited Rwanda and Bosnia and was surprised to witness Christians misleading people into carrying out genocide instead of championing peace.

Song was sentenced, despite petitions and protests, following five previous arrests for non-violent resistance, when he cut through a naval base barbwire fence on Jeju Island, South Korea, on March 7, 2020 to pray for peace on Gureombi rock, a symbol of peace for the island’s people. This date marked the 8th anniversary since the blasting of Gureombi Rock to make way for a military base. Song was released in September 2020 after 181 days in prison. He recently published Peace, Journeying Into That Distant Hope: Song Kang Ho’s Peace Narrative from Rwanda to Gangjeong, sharing his path to pursuing peace.