Introduction : On Monday, June 26, 1950, I went with a heavy school bag toward the second grade classroom of Dongrae Middle School where there was a garden filled with the fragrance of flowers. I always had to greet my seniors because I was in the lowest grade. However, as soon as I entered the classroom, being proud that I was in the second grade to receive greetings from my juniors, I heard the tragic news that the Korean War had broken out. That was at dawn on June 25 when the North Korean communist armies advanced upon Uijeongbu in tanks beyond the border, and this time it was not just a little battle around the border but the outbreak of an all-out war. Until further information, school would be postponed indefinitely and put into requisition by the military forces. Terrified, I went back home to Pusan. From then on, people rushed away to Pusan, crowded in trains. Then a horrible war went on for three years and a month.

    1) The number of military casualties and civilian personnel during the Korean War
    2) The loss of property during the Korean War
    3) The number of orphans and widows during the Korean War


1. The outbreak of the Korean War on June 25, 1950 is the natural conseque-
    nce of our own deed
    1) The circumstances of Korea around the end of the Lee Dynasty
        (1) A powerless dynasty
        (2) Corrupt politics - factional dispute, a foreign policy of seclusion
        (3) Unenlightened and poverty-stricken people (Lk 11:17)
        (4) Forcibly absorbed by Japan and colonialized for 36 years
    2) Liberated by outside help
        (1) Chains that were not unshackled by ourselves - the loss of our self-determination
        (2) Divided into two countries by the USA and the USSR
        (3) The front line of the Cold War - an encounter spot between democracy and
             communism (Ps 118:7)
        (4) A proxy war of the USA and the USSR (Joel 2:12-13)

2. God help our country and long live Korea
    1) Transmitted to the United Nations by Truman, the American president
    2) Malik, the representative of the USSR, showed up late
    3) The decision of the dispatch of troops to Korea
        - the dispatch of forces from 16 countries of the United Nations
    4) Pastors who prayed for their lives in the places of refuge, Pusan
        (1) Miraculously clear weather
        (2) Carpet bombing at the Nackdong River by B-29
        (3) Landing operations by Commander MacArthur (Joel 2:18, 20)

3. The grace of our God that we should not forget
    - Grace is easily forgotten and resentment is remembered for a long time
    1) Helped militarily and materially by the USA and friendly nations
        (1) The aid of food, clothing, and medicine
        (2) Mental dependence and hope
        (3) Fundamental aid for rebuilding Korea (Ps 107:9)
    2) Who is our friend now?
        (1) The claim that South and North Korean people should be one
            - however, Kim Jong Il has guns and atomic bombs in the pocket.
        (2) If North Korea had atomic bombs
            - We would be destroyed together. Japan would be armed with nuclear weapons,
               and America would undertake armed operations.
        (3) We will be safe only when we have a strong alliance with America. (Ps 33:20)

4. In order to prevent the historic tragedy from happening again
    1) Our nation will survive when politics is going well
        (1) Politicians who have dreams and leadership (Pr 29:18, Isa 40:1)
        (2) Politicians who love their nation (Mt 23:11)
        (3) Politicians who have no injustice or corruption (Mic 6:8)
    2) A wise people
        (1) Love for the country and their people
        (2) The nation who loves and cooperates with one another (Php 2:2)
        (3) The nation who makes an effort to establish a strong and wealthy country
    3) The church that plays the role of light and salt (Mt 5:13-14)
        (1) Light for society
        (2) Moral salt
        (3) The church where people pray (2Ch 20:9, Ps 91:14-15)


Conclusion : We have established our present country on the basis of the ashes of the Korean War like the phoenix by the grace of God. It is the grace of God that helped us overcome a lot of crises in politics, in the military, and in the economy. We must be on our guard and pray so that we will not face any national tragedy again like the Korean War.