Ex-hostages' mission angers South Koreans

[Amelia]

Ex-hostages' mission angers South Koreans

Backlash over Christians' work in Islamic countries

Choe Sang-Hun, New York Times

Sunday, September 2, 2007

As 19 South Koreans returned home today after six weeks as captives of the Taliban, they face a nation relieved that the hostage ordeal is finally over, but also angry at the Christians' decision to travel to Afghanistan despite government warnings and at what many here consider overzealous proselytizing by Korean churches.

Until now, criticism of the church volunteers had been tempered by fears that highlighting the evangelical nature of their mission might threaten their lives. Now that they are free, a backlash is building, with people demanding an accounting of who is to blame for the crisis some feel damaged South Korea's reputation.

"I expect cannonballs of criticism flying at churches for causing such a disturbance, for squandering national energy and money," said the Rev. Kim Myung-hyuk, president of the Korea Evangelical Fellowship. "This is a good opportunity for Christian-bashing in a society that has been frowning upon churches."

The criticism of the hostages, and of missionary work in Islamic countries, has been especially vitriolic on the Web, but newspapers' editorial pages have also expressed the feeling that the entire country has been, in a sense, held hostage since Taliban insurgents kidnapped 23 South Koreans on July 19. The nation was bombarded for weeks by frightening news media reports about repeated Taliban promises to kill everyone and about their eventual execution of two male hostages. Two other hostages were released Aug. 13.

Critics seem especially outraged that their government was put in what they believe was a no-win situation, forced to enter talks with a terrorist group despite international criticism. Debate on that issue is likely to intensify now that the Taliban is alleging South Korea paid more than $20 million for the hostage's release, which they said would be used for more suicide attacks, according to Reuters news agency. The Korean government has denied such a deal.

Shin Yong-gug, secretary-general of the nonprofit group People's Association of Religion Critics, said, "Most consider this a man-made disaster sown by Korean churches' indiscriminate zeal to proselytize and their disregard for safety."

South Korea, which is about 30 percent Christian, has become the second largest exporter of missionaries after the United States, with almost 17,000 in 170 countries.

Although questions about missionary work in Muslim countries have been especially pronounced since the hostages were released, skepticism about Korean churches' zeal to spread their faith in such places has been quietly growing in recent years. Critics have worried especially about missions to Muslim countries, fearing that attempting to spread Christianity there, intentionally or unintentionally, shows a disrespect for the local culture.

Both Saemmul Presbyterian Church and the government insisted that the hostages had not been proselytizing, just providing aid. But many religious experts here consider such a distinction meaningless, because Korean churches provide aid to gain converts. Saemmul Church once called the trip a "short-term evangelical mission."

All major church groups have apologized for the Afghan crisis and vowed to rethink their way of proselytizing, which they acknowledged often failed to understand and respect "local religious and cultural background." And as part of the deal to release the hostages, the South Korean government promised the Taliban that it would prevent missionaries from traveling there.

The hostages were aware of the country's mixed feelings.

"We are very sorry to the people and the government for causing concerns," former hostage Yoo Kyung-shik said upon arriving at Incheon, South Korea. "We appreciate the Korean people for helping us to return to our families. We owe a big debt to the nation and people."