In a renewed call for national repentance and spiritual awakening, South Korean Christian leaders will launch weekly “Revival Korea Mizpah Square Prayer Meetings” beginning April 19 in Seoul’s Yeouido district, aiming to unite believers in prayer for the nation in the weeks leading up to the presidential election on May 31.
The Revival Korea Preparatory Committee, led by Rev. Taehee Lee, announced the weekly meetings to be held every Saturday at 2 p.m.
The gatherings are modeled after the “Save Korea National Emergency Prayer Meetings,” which took place weekly across the country—including in Yeouido—during the political turmoil leading up to the impeachment of former President Suk-yeol Yoon. Like those earlier meetings, the upcoming events are intended as a time for Korean churches to repent and intercede for the nation.
In the Old Testament, Mizpah was the place where the Israelites, under the oppression of the Ammonites, gathered with Judge Jephthah to repent and cry out to God for deliverance (Judges 10:17). It was also a site of national repentance in the time of the prophet Samuel (1 Samuel 7:6).
The theme verse for the new prayer initiative is 1 Samuel 7:3: “Direct your hearts to the Lord and serve Him only, and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.” The organizing committee stated, “Salvation is found only in Jesus Christ. The most powerful act we can do right now is to join hands in prayer and cry out to God.”
The earlier “Save Korea” prayer gatherings came to an end following the Constitutional Court’s decision to remove former President Yoon from office—concluding a campaign that had originally committed to continuing only until that point.
Despite being organized as prayer meetings, “Save Korea” increasingly became a rallying point for conservative forces opposed to impeachment. As Christians concerned about threats to religious freedom and liberal democracy took to the streets, many others joined in support.
Some Christian leaders, however, expressed disappointment when the prayer meetings were discontinued in the lead-up to the presidential election. The newly launched “Revival Korea Mizpah Square Prayer Meetings” are being seen as a timely alternative.
Pastor Lee, who leads The Truth in Him Church and heads the prayer gatherings, said, “We are in the midst of a national crisis. Just as the Israelites gathered in Mizpah to repent, now is the time for us to experience spiritual awakening and revival, and to pray for this nation in repentance. Human methods and enthusiasm alone will not solve this. We need a powerful movement of repentance and prayer.”
Lee continued, “The purpose of the Revival Korea Mizpah Square Prayer Meeting is to gather and repent of the sin of loving and depending on things other than God, so that a spiritual awakening may come to the Korean church. If necessary, we will fast and cry out to God.”
Regarding the current political situation, he added, “The core of our national crisis is whether we can continue the system of liberal democracy we have upheld until now. This presidential election will be a major watershed moment in the ideological battle we face.”
“This battle belongs to the Lord,” Lee said. “Therefore, we must repent of the idolatry of worshiping other gods instead of God. Only then can we earnestly seek God’s grace. That is the purpose of this Mizpah Square prayer meeting.”
Originally published by Christian Daily Korea, translated and edited by Christian Daily International staff.
