8.15 해방 이후 한국YWCA 기독여성운동 = 8.15 Korea YWCA Christian Women’s Movement After Liberation

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This article examines the impact of East-West YWCA women’s exchanges on Korean War relief and the Christian spirit of “Salim,” the root of Korean YWCA, through the World YWCA Council held in Hangzhou in 1947, right after World War II.
Research was conducted using original materials in the Korea YWCA Archives, World YWCA Archives, and Hangzhou YWCA Archives that were excavated based on the historical data books published by YWCA in each region in Korea. The period of the study was covered from the time after liberation on August 15, 1945, which began with the end of World War II, to the time of the Korean War in 1950.
This study sheds light on the spirit and practice of saving the lives of YWCA women in the face of a global national crisis. From 1945 to 1950, the Korean YWCA and the World’s YWCA were tasked with restoration after the war. The World YWCA decided to hold its first World YWCA Council meeting in Hangzhou, China. The purpose was to overcome the trauma as alive of World War II and to share Christian unity and reconciliation by apologizing and forgiving each other under the cross of Christ. Meanwhile, the Korean YWCA dispatched 10 delegations to Hangzhou for the first time in order to strengthen international solidarity after Korea’s liberation on August 15th 1945.
When the Korean War broke out, Christian women carried out relief projects, education projects, human resource training, and social welfare projects based on the spirit of ‘Sal-lim’, “What will YWCA do in this difficult time?” At the same time, it took the lead in the relief and restoration of the Korean church and society through various international solidarity.
As a result, YWCA Korea was reborn as a new spirit of YWCA. a global leader in Y (Young, future-oriented thinking and youthfulness), W (Women, independent women who lead the era in the beneficiaries), and C (Christian, the ecumenical spirit based on the Kingdom of God) and A(Association, life, and peace movement).
This paper is significant in that it uncovered the hidden heroine of Esther Park, who played the role of a civilian diplomat. Esther Park was a key person to build a close relationship with YWCA around the world right after liberation on August 15, and she worked with UNKRA (United Nations Agency for Reconstruction of Korea) to contribute to refugee relief and war recovery during the Korean War.

참고문헌 (Reference)

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