ID :
77257
Thu, 08/27/2009 - 16:22
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/77257
The shortlink copeid
Seoul seeking to curb risky missionary work abroad
By Lee Chi-dong
SEOUL, Aug. 27 (Yonhap) -- South Korea is seeking ways to restrict missionary
activity in countries deemed too dangerous to operate in as concerns about
possible terrorist attacks against them and other Koreans grow, Seoul's foreign
ministry said Thursday.
As South Korea's Christian population steadily increases, churches here are
sending missionaries overseas, while individuals working with international
agencies are also undertaking what can be very risky ventures.
About 30 percent of South Korea's population of 48 million are Christians. The
country trails only the United States in the number of missionaries it sends
abroad, with almost 17,000 in 170 countries, according to government data.
In many Islamic nations, attempting to convert local Muslims is a punishable
offense that has often led to arrests, detainment or expulsion of missionaries.
In some cases, it has led to the execution of those charged with the crime.
"The foreign ministry is considering various measures, in consultation with
relevant authorities, to regulate outbound trips by potential violators of local
law in foreign countries," ministry spokesman Moon Tae-young said.
He said the government's repeated appeals and warnings to missionary agencies had
been ignored.
"Since July, dozens of South Koreans have been held on charges of engaging in
missionary work in Iran, Jordan, Yemen, and other countries," Moon said, adding
they were expelled.
Most recently, a group of four South Koreans and their families were deported
from Iran earlier this month, according to diplomatic sources. Iran complained to
the South Korean government that they had been expelled from the country last
year on the same charges.
In June, a 34-year-old female South Korean was found dead in Yemen days after
being kidnapped by local insurgents. She had been tutoring the children of South
Korean members of World Wide Services, an international medical aid organization.
In 2007, the Taliban kidnapped 23 South Korean church workers, mostly in their
20s, in Afghanistan. Two were killed, while the others were released after
lengthy negotiations between the South Korean government and the captors.
lcd@yna.co.kr
(END)
SEOUL, Aug. 27 (Yonhap) -- South Korea is seeking ways to restrict missionary
activity in countries deemed too dangerous to operate in as concerns about
possible terrorist attacks against them and other Koreans grow, Seoul's foreign
ministry said Thursday.
As South Korea's Christian population steadily increases, churches here are
sending missionaries overseas, while individuals working with international
agencies are also undertaking what can be very risky ventures.
About 30 percent of South Korea's population of 48 million are Christians. The
country trails only the United States in the number of missionaries it sends
abroad, with almost 17,000 in 170 countries, according to government data.
In many Islamic nations, attempting to convert local Muslims is a punishable
offense that has often led to arrests, detainment or expulsion of missionaries.
In some cases, it has led to the execution of those charged with the crime.
"The foreign ministry is considering various measures, in consultation with
relevant authorities, to regulate outbound trips by potential violators of local
law in foreign countries," ministry spokesman Moon Tae-young said.
He said the government's repeated appeals and warnings to missionary agencies had
been ignored.
"Since July, dozens of South Koreans have been held on charges of engaging in
missionary work in Iran, Jordan, Yemen, and other countries," Moon said, adding
they were expelled.
Most recently, a group of four South Koreans and their families were deported
from Iran earlier this month, according to diplomatic sources. Iran complained to
the South Korean government that they had been expelled from the country last
year on the same charges.
In June, a 34-year-old female South Korean was found dead in Yemen days after
being kidnapped by local insurgents. She had been tutoring the children of South
Korean members of World Wide Services, an international medical aid organization.
In 2007, the Taliban kidnapped 23 South Korean church workers, mostly in their
20s, in Afghanistan. Two were killed, while the others were released after
lengthy negotiations between the South Korean government and the captors.
lcd@yna.co.kr
(END)
