January 31, 2019, became a memorable day in the history of the Korean Adventist Church. The Korean Supreme Court took Han’s side by declaring a “discontinuance of hearing (trial)” on the appeal of the medical school, which had demurred to the higher court judgment. The reason why this verdict is historically important to the Adventist Church is because this court ruling will be a judicial precedent that can be used for future lawsuits on Sabbath accommodation.
Back on September 21, 2018, Brother Han, who was fighting for his freedom of religion over the Sabbath examination, won the trial at the High Court. Since he had lost previously at the first trial, all Korean Adventist churches had desperately prayed about the High Court trial. Our God has Jehovah-Nissi (God of Victory) as His name. To our astonishment, Han won the High Court suit. However, the fight did not end there. After the verdict from the High Court, the defendant, K medical school, decided to appeal to the Supreme Court.
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We know the story of Esther, a Jewish queen of Persia. When her people, the Israelites, were in danger of being slaughtered by the general Haman, she herself prayed, and she also asked God’s people to pray together with her for God’s deliverance of His people. We can see her determined attitude from her words: “If I perish, I perish.” What human-created drama can be more dramatic than the scene from the story of Esther? The gallows which had been prepared for Mordecai were used for Haman. God turned the tables and give the victory to His people. “Purim” is a special Jewish holiday that commemorates this historic event.
The victory at the Supreme Court could not have been gained by chance. All Korean churches, and even those in the world church who had happened to read the news about this situation, prayed earnestly. The PARL (Public Affairs & Religious Liberty) department of Korean Union Conference put forth their best efforts in fundraising and prayer requests. The Religious Liberty and Equal Opportunity Association, which consists mainly of Adventist medical doctors, supported Han from beginning to end. The attorney, Shin MyungCheol, fought for him with utmost sincerity. Above all, however, this miraculous ruling would not have occurred if a faithful Adventist youth, Brother Han, had not stood firmly in faith. Once again, thank you for your sincere prayers for Brother Han.
Kim SunHwan
NSD PARL Director