Friday, 14 September 2007 00:00
South Korea sends the second largest number of missionaries to other countries, after the United States. There are an estimated 16,200 Korean missionaries around the world today, participating in both short term and long term mission trips, reflecting the growth of Christianity in South Korea. According to government census, there were a little over 600,000 Protestant Christians in South Korea in 1960. Today, there are about 9 million Protestants and 5.5 million Catholics in a country of 49 million people.
One of the churches that sends missionaries abroad is the Saemmul Church in Seoul, South Korea. It has a congregation of 3,800 people and sends approximately 50 missionaries around the world. In July 2007, Saemmul Church ignored warnings from the South Korean government that the Taliban was planning on holding missionaries hostage. The church continued with its plans and sent missionaries to the conflict zones in Afghanistan. The South Korean government was wary of known missionaries' aggressive tactics within Muslim countries, and was concerned for the safety of their citizens. When the missionaries arrived in Afghanistan, their lack of preparation and cultural sensitivity increased their vulnerability to an attack. They traveled through the conflict areas on a bus at night, which is locally known as a prime opportunity for a terrorist attack. The South Koreans did not dress in traditional clothing, and chose not to follow safety guidelines known by people in the region.
While on a bus heading to the southern city of Kandahar, the Taliban kidnapped the 23 South Korean missionaries on July 19. During their imprisonment, the missionaries were kept together at first, but were then separated after 3 days of captivity. They were subjected to abuse, both physical and verbal, as their captors attempted to force them to convert to Islam (Kim, Associated Press). As a result of the lack of food, the hostages suffered from diarrhea and dehydration. Some hostages were forced to work on building projects and performed other chores for their captors. Others were kept in a small shed and not allowed to leave. On July 26, Bae Hyung-kyu, a pastor and group leader, was shot and killed. Shim Sung-min, another missionary, was found dead on July 31.
The South Korean government worked diligently to bring the hostages back. South Korean officials initiated talks with the Taliban on August 10. Two female hostages were handed over on August 14. Finally, a deal was reached, where the South Korean government restated its intention to remove all South Korean troops from Afghanistan by 2008, and promised to not allow any South Korean missionaries to travel to Afghanistan. While some reports state that a $20 million ransom was paid to the Taliban, the South Korean government and a Taliban spokesman denied this as rumor. Nonetheless, all of the hostages were released by August 30 and returned to Seoul on September 2.
While the entire country was thankful for the return of the hostages and mourned the deaths of the two missionaries who were killed, criticism and controversy arose over the actions of the Christians. Many were angry that the missionaries had forced the South Korean government to negotiate with the Taliban, which damaged the country's reputation by forcing them to engage with a known terrorist group. The South Korean media raised questions over "rash" evangelical activity in the Muslim world. The father of Shim Sung Min, one of the victims, says he plans to sue the church for failing to notify him that his son was leaving for Afghanistan.
Diverse responses to the criticism have caused a divide within the South Korean Christian community. Mainstream Protestant groups have obeyed their government's order by promising to refrain from sending missionaries to conflict areas in the future. Many South Koreans also agree on the need to include security training and cooperation with the government in their missionary preparations. The hostages themselves have apologized for the trouble they caused their country, and many South Korean church leaders say that they are in repentance of the actions taken by missionary organizations which send missionaries to dangerous places (Harden, Washington Post). Other South Korean Christians disagree, saying that while more training is necessary, churches should not be afraid or intimidated by the Taliban or the South Korean government's order to stop missionary work in Afghanistan. These Christians believe churches should continue to send missionaries around the world in order to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Christians questioned why the government did not engage in talks sooner in order to bring the missionaries home (Kim, BBC News). These Christians want to continue bringing the Gospel to people in conflict areas, regardless of what their government dictates.
The conflict between churches in Korea brings to the surface many questions about how missionaries should act within other countries. How should missionaries prepare for cross-cultural situations? When should missionaries be sent to conflict areas? When should the government be obeyed, and when should its directions be ignored? These questions are crucial as the church wrestles with its role and responsibilities in the global world. As the hostage crisis in South Korea illustrates, preparation and cultural sensitivity are necessary as Christians attempt to love and serve their brothers and sisters around the world.
