PRAYER REQUEST FROM KOREA

APRIL 1, 2018

To all Adventist brothers and sisters in Christ

We are writing to request your prayers for Korea.  A young Korean Adventist, Jiman Han, is awaiting the court's decision in a trial to keep the Sabbath while in medical school.  The decision will be rendered on April 18, 2018.

Jiman is a first year student at medical school.  At the beginning of his first semester, he noticed that many of his exams had been scheduled for a Saturday.  He made a commitment to honor God and His commandments and pleaded with the school for a religious accommodation so he could take his exams outside of Sabbath hours.  However, despite many conversations and correspondences with his professors and school officials, the school rejected his request, and Jiman was unable to take his exams.

Jiman appealed his case before the National Human Rights Commission of Korea but to no avail, and began a lawsuit to compel the school to grant him the religious accommodation.

The school's policy permits alternative testing for those who cannot take the exam “due to illness or any other unavoidable circumstance."  Article 11 of the Constitution of Korea provides, “No one shall be discriminated against in any area of political, social or cultural life due to...religion.” We believe a public school's refusal to make any effort to provide a reasonable accommodation that would allow a student to honor his sincerely held religious beliefs violates the school's policy and the Korean Constitution.

The school has been vigorously litigating this case, and the final hearing was on March 28.  The judgment will be issued on April 18.

This is a very important case, not only for Jiman but for all Korean Adventists who face a similar situation in school and when looking for work or taking qualifying exams.  It is the first administrative litigation concerning religious accommodation for Sabbath observance and will serve as a precedent in numerous future cases.

We have done everything we can and the results are in God's hands.  Please pray that our Lord, who moved the heart of Cyrus to liberate the Jews, will impress the judges to grant the Adventists of Korea the freedom to honor God by keeping His Sabbath holy.  When Esther was preparing to go before the king, all the Jews of the land prayed in union.  Please join us in prayer during your personal devotion and family worship and at your local church.

May God keep us faithful as we prepare for His Coming.

Blessings,

The Society for Religious Freedom and Equal Opportunity of Korea