Chondogyo¡¯s inter-Korean exchanges

Riding the wave of recent inter-Korean exchanges, leaders of the Chondo religion from South and North Korea met August 17, in Seoul to discuss the possible joint hosting of a commemorative ceremony marking the nation`s founding day, which falls on October 3.

Kim Kwang-Wook, secretary general of the South`s Chondo community, met with Ryu Mi-Young, Chairperson of the North`s Central Guidance Committee of the Korean Chondoist Association, at the Grand Hyatt Seoul to hold a discussion.

The Chondo religion, or Chondogyo, is an indigenous Korean religion which carries on the ideas of Tonghak or "Eastern Learning."

The two religious groups had a chance to meet as Ryu was in Seoul as chief leader of the North Korean delegation of separated families for the August 13-18 reunion held jointly in Seoul and Pyongyang.

This is the second meeting between the two. They met in Beijing last August for the first time since the national division to hold their first joint Chondoist ceremony.

Chondoism is a powerful religious organization in the North with many adherents. The unconfirmed number of North Korean followers stands at 1.5 million, according to the North. It is the only religious group recognized by the North Korean government. The Chungwoo Church is its political arm, which in practice serves as the right arm of the North`s Worker¡¯s Party. Ryu also serves as the party`s chairman.

Ryu`s late husband was Choi Duk-Shin, who served as South Korean foreign minister and ambassador to the former West Germany during the President Park Chung-Hee administration. Choi was a follower of Chondoism, having served as its leader for two terms during the 1970s. Choi and Ryu defected to North Korea in 1986 after seeking political asylum in the United States in 1977. Ryu inherited the leadership post of the North`s religious group after her husband passed away in 1989.

Oh Ik-Je, a Chondo leader who defected to the North in 1997, served as its leader from 1989-1994. Ryu was reportedly heavily involved in Oh`s defection to the North, as the two had kept up their acquaintance through contacts in Beijing.

Formal exchanges between the Chondo groups of the South and the North began in 1993, when Oh Ik-je was serving as the North Korean Chondo leader. In January 1999, Park Nam-Soo of the South visited Pyongyang, meeting with the North`s Han Young-Up.

In May, the South`s Joo Sun-Won and the North`s Kang Chol-Won met in Beijing to discuss restoration of the Chondogyo building in the North.