‘William “Bix” Bichsel, SJ, from the Tacoma Catholic Worker in Washington State, spent time on Jeju Island in the Fall of 2013 in solidarity with the people’s struggle to stop construction of a new military base that will serve the U.S. Navy. While there, on October 3, 2013, he interviewed the Catholic Bishop of Jeju, Peter Kang U-IL. Bishop Kang has been steadfast in his support of the struggle, and the priests and nuns who engage in continuous nonviolent resistance against construction of the base.
In this first part of the interview, Bishop Kang speaks to Catholic Social Teachings and their application to the struggle, the context of the 1948 massacre, why the base should not be built, and why it is important for Christians to lead in this struggle for peace.
In this second part of the conversation, Bishop Kang speaks about the power of the Eucharist in the resistance, the ecumenical nature of the struggle, his thoughts on reunification, and how “ordinary” people (not politicians) must be the ones to bring about peace.’ (Video and writing by Leonard Eiger, Nov. 4, 2013)
