SOUTH KOREA: Dangers faced by missionaries in trouble spots
Updated
The kidnap drama involving 23 South Koreans taken hostage by Taliban rebels in Afghanistan demonstrates the dangers that missionary groups court in the region's trouble spots. The seizure of the group, most of them women, came just days after 14 Philippino soldiers lost their lives searching for the kidnapped Catholic priest Giancarlo Bossi -- who was ultimately released unharmed. The drama has been watched closely by the non-governmental organisation, the International Crisis Group.
Presenter: Sonja Heydeman
Speakers: International Crisis Group North Asia director Peter Beck
BECK: All the major churches in Korea yesterday the sermons included a moment of recognition for those that had been kidnapped and the media has actually been quite forgiving because I must say my first reaction when I learned about this event, was oh great, another group of crazy Korean Christians putting themselves in harm's way in the name of serving God.
HEYDEMAN: Mr Beck says this particular Christian mission works on an ongoing basis in the region, with both the government and families claiming they were on an aid mission and not an evangelical one.
BECK It turns out that this church is very committed to overseas missions and they've been sending a team to Afghanistan for several years now and so the team leader has been to Afghanistan several times before, they've established a hospital clinic and an orphanage and they were providing relief supplies for those facilities and that's why they were there.
HEYDEMAN: Mr Beck says the South Korean government has been urging groups not to venture into Afghanistan. Ministry estimates put the number of South Koreans believed to be in the country at around 400, about 200 peacekeeping troops and some 200 civilians. Seoul has announced new rules to tackle the problem of people venturing into troubled regions with unauthorised travel to Afghanistan now to be met with possible jail terms. The Foreign Ministry has banned its nationals from travelling to the war-torn country and urged South Koreans already there to get out. Mr Beck says he believes this group had not been taking full precautions to protect themselves.
BECK: Well the family members have assured me that they were not engaged in any proselytising, but the simple fact that they were travelling south tells me that they were not being cautious because as far as I know it's just not safe to travel, really, south of Kabul.
HEYDEMAN: International Crisis group's director of North East Asia Peter Beck.
Yang Sun Mook, the chairman of South Korea's International Relations Committee of the Democratic Party, agrees there is criticism of the group for what some South Koreans believe amounts to foolhardy behaviour. To the question of whether the South Korean community is comfortable with the country's military contribution to Afghanistan, Dr Yang says while there was initial concern there appears to be far more understanding. The International Crisis Group's Peter Beck says there's really very little local debate about whether South Korea should contribute to the US military effort. Mr Beck says he believes the US is still very important given that North Korea remains a key concern.
BECK: And the North's proposed military talks with Washington that would leave out Seoul they're now asking for, today's headline is that the North is again demanding light water reactors which are non-negotiable as far as Washington's concerned. So we're certainly not out of the woods yet with North Korea. So I don't think Seoul is in a position to forsake Washington.
HEYDEMAN: Peter Beck says South Korea is extending its troop movement in various parts of the world.
BECK: South Korea just sent troops to Lebanon and certainly as they've seen Japan play a larger role in peacekeeping operations I think there's a real desire for South Korea to play a similar role. And I think there's a recognition that Afghanistan is in everyone's interest to have the country not be a hotbed of terrorism.
