Hak Joon Lee, a professor of Theology and Ethics at Fuller Seminary, is a man who is working to extend the vision and dreams of Martin Luther King, Jr. to the Korean Christian community and onto all people. Professor Lee is a lecturer (even preacher) from both his work with social justice and efforts to bring the Korean and African American communities together under the single Christian banner.
Professor Lee developed his interest in Martin Luther King, Jr's dream after going through the military dictatorship in Korea which he thought had a significant parallel to the racial segregation that used to take place in America.
While Lee was in Korea in in the 70s and early 80s, he witnessed President Park Chung-Hee declare martial law and proclaimed himself dictator for life, and even the GwangJu Massacre (1980) carried out by Park's follower, General Chun Doo-Hwan. It is not surprising that Lee found that Dr. King's emphasis on non-violence was something that could move people of any ethnicity.
Today, Professor Lee urges his students, particularly those who take his course on Dr. King to see the image of God in all races. He describes his classroom as a "laboratory of building God's beloved community".
Since the LA Riots, Korean and African American relationships have taken a serious downturn. However, Professor Lee and his students at Fuller may be putting down the stepping stones to unity between the races, as Dr. King had envisioned.
