hankyoreh

President Lee Myung-bak and his wife Kim Yoon-ok sit on their knees to pray at the 43th National Prayer Breakfast at COEX in Seoul‘s Gangnam District, March 3.

In the gathering attended by some 3,500 Protestants leaders, President Lee prayed with others, including the main opposition Democratic Party Chairman Sohn Hak-kyu, according to Rev. Gil Ja-yeon’s proposal, president of the Christian Council of Korea, calling for group spoken prayer sitting on the knees for one minute.

It marked the first time a sitting South Korean president sat on his knees in a public place. The Cheong Wa Dae (the presidential office in South Korea or Blue House) explained that all the participants sat on their knees, not just President Lee.

Lee said, “I hope the Korean church can untie the knots of social conflict and serve as a bridge for national integration,” without mentioning directly the latest protest by the conservative Protestant leaders over a bill on Islamic bonds, or sukuk.

“I believe an attitude of understanding and respecting others while restraining oneself is crucial now for our society to harmonize and mature,” he added.

The ruling Grand National Party (GNP) held off on the passage of the “Islamic bond bill” that was expected to be passed at the February extraordinary session in the face of increasing objections from their Protestant community base. The bill would change the tax system to give tax exemption benefits for sukuk, financial bills in the Islamic religion that prohibit the earning of interest, granting the holders tax exemption on profits.

(Cheong Wa Dae photo pool)