Every now and then I notice a story which has probably been bubbling away for a while in the background but which then suddenly grabs my attention by chance. One such has been the Korean Christian missionaries in Afghanistan.
A couple of google searches reveals the significant missionary activities of the Korean churches, particularly in Muslim countries. And they aren’t deterred by danger – in fact they seem positively attracted by it. The New York Times reports that there are more missionaries supplied by South Korea than any other country apart from the US, which considering its size is remarkable.
We recall the missionaries who got kidnapped in Iraq, and remember with horror the one who was murdered by his captors. Less prominent in the news until now has been their activities in Afghanistan. The Chosun Ilbo has the story, and there are some related links to follow from there. As with Iraq, the Korean government has now declared Afghanistan out of bounds, but that has not stopped 300 more Korean Christians trying to make their way there to support those already there.