A large sign outside the multistory Shinsegae department store in downtown Seoul, South Korea, reads, “Pray for the safe return of the hostages in Afghanistan.” It is written in Korean, Arabic and English.
But as Korean Christians pray, church and missions agency leaders are struggling with how best to adapt to environments and cultures where a Christian presence is unwelcome and often dangerous. They are discussing how best to complete the task of taking the gospel to “the ends of the earth,” while protecting those under their watch who have been called to difficult places.
And at the request of the South Korean government, plans are under way to remove all Korean Christian workers from Afghanistan.
Being ‘sensitive to safety’
“We hope that this is only temporary,” said Jae Kyeong Lee, president of the Korean Foreign Mission Board of the Korea Baptist Convention, “and that we will have opportunity to send workers back soon. But we want to be sensitive to the safety of the hostages and to the request of our government.”
The South Korean government currently is negotiating with Taliban militants over the fate of 19 hostages remaining in Afghanistan. A group of 23 Korean aid workers, mostly women, was kidnapped by the Taliban on July 19 while riding aboard a bus in the Ghazni province of Afghanistan.
Two of the male hostages, 42-year-old church staff member Hyung Kyu Bae and 29-year-old Sung Min Shim, were executed by the Taliban. Two of the women volunteers were released and returned to Seoul on Aug. 17.
While other Christian workers in Afghanistan understand the government’s concerns, they are struggling over the departure of their Korean friends. One worker who asked not to be identified said, “We are grieving the loss of our Korean brothers and sisters. These people were doing amazing work here and amazing work for the Kingdom. I know that there is a lot of criticism of the Korean hostages … but they are such sweet, gentle people who came here with pure hearts to truly help.”
Strong missions emphasis
Since the early 1900s, the Korean church has sent more than 14,000 Christian workers around the world. In recent years, South Korea has become second only to the United States as a missions-sending country. The Korean Foreign Mission Board, for example, has 580 workers in 48 countries.
“Korean mission agencies have a goal to send 100,000 workers to countries around the world by 2030,” Lee said. “In the past we have bragged about the willingness of our people to go to dangerous places … Now, we … must concern ourselves with the safety of our personnel and show greater maturity as we approach our task.” (BP)
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