South Korean Christian Missionaries- Undercover Korean Rescue Operations

South Korean Christian Missionaries- Undercover Korean Rescue Operations
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The Christians in South Korea, though a minority, are playing an important part in establishing solid grounds of their religious teachings. This is due to the fact that they are quite a strong community in Korea and are inspiring people of other religions as well.

One of the helping services they provide is rescue for North Korean women who had been trafficked to China and are being forced to work as sex slaves. There are as many as tens of thousands of North Koreans residing in China, most of which are women. These women are either sold or taken as wives by Chinese men and so are considered as ‘illegal economic migrants’ by the government of China. They are not offered any legal help and do not have the law protecting them, so their lives and its matters are veiled.

Many women are helped, one of whom is Hannah, a North Korean young refugee women rescued and now residing in Seoul. The mission that helped her is located in Durihana, South Korea. This mission has helped about a thousand North Koreans seek refuge in South Korea, Japan, and United States. They have safe houses all over China, from where they take the North Koreans to South East Asia and help them seek asylum in different countries. They go through this secret operation at the risk of their own lives, and if caught, can face serious measures.

The church, under 56-year-old pastor Chun Kiwon, runs from an office in Seoul where most of the planning and details are made to rescue these women. He tries to make contact contact with the trafficked women and from there reveals his identity and connects them to the men of the missions for rescue.

Many women become pregnant by Chinese men and some are forced to have an abortion, while others have children who are stateless. If the father wants to register his child, he has to prove that the mother had been deported back to North Korea. The situation is not a pleasant one for these women, and they are forced to live in secrecy.

About 24,000 North Koreans live in South Korea, of which 70% are women. The South Korean government has done little in saving these people, for they are not official citizens. The Christian missionaries and civic groups are the ones who have given aid and have immensely helped the North Koreans in establishing a more stable, secure life.