Minjung Theology, literally translating into theology of the people and masses, is a Korean Christian theology inspired by Western theologies but with its own indigenous fervor. The above passage describes one aspect of Minjung Theology: interpreting the bible through its historical narrative and relating that narrative to the present age. It is from a work called Queen of Suffering written by a Korean Quaker by the name of Ham Seokheom, whom people have called the Gandhi of Korea. In the work, Ham gives a historical narrative of the Korean people, who have lived through numerous invasions and have experienced a number of hardships. These hardships are related another aspect of Minjung Theology, which is the concept of Haan or the unresolved grudge oppressed people feel towards their oppressors. .
Ham Seokheom certainly could attest the experiencing of Haan having served prison sentences under Japanese colonial rule, in North Korea, and three successive South Korean presidencies (a total of nine times in his life) for his spiritual views and political activities. Other prominent intellectuals and political activists too faced prison time for their pro-democratic, anti-dictatorship stances especially during the 1960s and 1970s under the military dictatorship of Park Chung Hee. Several of them, while in prison, read extensively and developed unique perspectives for writing about Christianity, Korean, history or both. These writings from prison included the first concrete assertions of Minjung Theology or similar movements that linked Christianity with the political and social welfare of Korean people. .
A common practice of Minjung Theologians or those inspired by Minjung Theology is to construct continuity with past Korean historical experiences of marginalization and oppression, identifying common people under such marganilization and oppression as the Minjung. In other words, they view the history of the Minjung as synonymous with the history of the common people of Korea.
