GoodnewsEverybody.com Korean of Korea Outreach


Read our blog and follow us on facebook and twitter!

An nyong ha sye yo?= Hello in Korean! My (Sal) first experince I can recall with a Korean were Korean-American I went to school growing up in St. Paul.

Then I encountered more of the Korean culture at UMM when I met adopttees, Korean Americans, and Korean int'l students through many activities at various college events (e.g. Asian Student Association).

{Photo Gallery}

Moon Yim Bin and I in front of the White House during a break at the Hmong Youth Conference 96'

Susan (Kor Am) and Young (Kor Int'l) having fun serving a Korean dish at the International Student Association Dinner in Winter Quarter of 1997

UMM has had pretty much an int'l student from Korea (eg. Yonsei Univeristy, a private "Christian" college that many students from Korea attend before coming here) every year since I attended UMM my freshmen year on 1995. One student from the summer of 2002 to the summer of 2003, shared some pictures from the DMZ (national geographic) similar to this, which I'm afraid to put in this website for security reasons.

Jun "Bug", Taeyoung, and Paul representing the Korean booth at the 2000 International Student Fair at UMM

Taeyoung and Me outside in the beautiful wintery Campus Mall

Another indirect relation experience is through shares and pictures from my sister, who had a life-time opportunity to visit South Korea. She went over there to visit her close friend, who was teaching English in Seoul, South Korea. A unique experience she had that some of my Korean friends has not had the opportunity to do is visit...

Cjeju Island

...It's like us "Americans" visiting Hawaii! This is an beautiful island in the southern part of South Korea for "honeymooners" and tourist. Please feel free to ask me to share some pictures my sister borrowed me from her trip there.

Others:

-Moon-Bin (Kangnam-Ku; Seoul) 95'-96'
-Young (?) 96'-97 (00'UofM-TC)
-Jong (Jangmi; Seoul) 96'-97' -Taeyoung (?) 97'-98'
-Shem (Samik; Seoul) 99'-00'
-Joon-Hyuk (?) 99'-00'
-Hyung (?) 00'-01' (02' UofM-TC
-Jun-Soo (Kang Nam-Gu; Seoul)01'-03' summer
-Jiwon 02'-03'
-Young (Korean-Japanese) 02'-03'

From my experience in my friendship relationships with Koreans that come study here, I've liked "kimchee" and love everything else of the Korean people ever since!

North Korea Special Report

Undercover in Secret, from CNN (Sunday, Nov 19th 2005) @7pm CDT

-Humanitarian
Helping Hands Korea, from Family Care Production, a global ministry based in California
"Helping Hands Korea (HHK), a Christian mission established in Seoul in 1990, launched its first endeavor to assist North Koreans in crisis in 1996, by providing famine relief to the northeastern portion of the impoverished nation, particularly to schools and orphanages. From 1998, HHK diversified its assistance activities to North Korea by giving special emphasis to direct aid for North Korean refugees in China and, in extraordinary circumstances, coordinating logistical support for their escape to third countries"

-Persecution
Christian Persecution in North Korea: August 10, 2004 CSW welcomes appointment of UN Special Rapporteur on human rights, from Christian Solidarity Worldwide
Open Doors USA Launches North Korea Prayer Campaign
"SANTA ANA, CA (Nov. 1, 2005) � For three straight years North Korea has topped Open Doors� World Watch List of countries where persecution of Christians is the worst."
Persecution in North Korea, from Int'l Christian Concern
"Ongoing � Since 1953 about 300,000 Christians have "disappeared." Anyone found with a Bible may be shot. It is estimated that 400 Christians were executed in 1999 alone."

-Political
North Korea, from Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base in Alabama

-Testimonies
What is God doing in North Koea?, from backtojerusalem
"A North Korean escapee, who said that he fled his country because he was �starving to death� has issued an urgent prayer request to Christians around the world. �Please pray for a great revival in my country,� said the man, who asked only to be known as �Mr. Lee.� He went on, �I want every North Korean to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour and only by God�s power is that possible. When I lived in North Korea, I never once heard about Jesus and so I know it will take a miracle for so many in my nation to be saved.� The North Korean said that he was an arts teacher in North Korea where his whole family�s income was only $1 US per month. �Back in 1996, I decided to make a trip by boat to China to sell some goods there so my family and I could survive,� he said. �When I went back to North Korea, I was arrested as a smuggler and sent to prison for a month.� He revealed that he then decided to try and go back to China and he succeeded and then something extraordinary occurred. �While I was in China, I met three missionaries from South Korea who traveled there as missionaries,� he explained. �They shared the Gospel with me and there and then I gave my life to Jesus Christ.� Eventually, he began the tortuous escape route that took him to Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand, and then he was able to finally get to South Korea where he was welcomed with open arms. Still, he said he missed his family and was �mourning� for them, but as he�s grown in his faith, he said, �I was able to overcome my fears.� The North Korean now attends the Manmin Joong-Ang Church in Seoul and concluded by saying, �One day I want to become a minister.�-Assist News Service, May 2004


Recommended Resources

Local-GoodnewsMorris

State-GoodnewsMinnesota

Education

-"Crossing Chasms" VHS Video $29.95 1-888-44-MAVEN, a Korean Adoptee Documentary (I personally have in my house)

Foods

Korean Town in St Paul (August 10th 2012)

Twin Cities

Arts

  • Chang Mi Korean Dance & Drum

  • *referred by Brook (Woodbury H.S. Grad), who I met for a short time when I was visiting Harding Senior High School on Monday, April 11th of 2005

    Churches

  • MN Gospel-Korean Evangelical Methodist Church, Brooklyn Center, MN
  • Korean Presbyterian Church, Brooklyn Center, MN
  • Cosmetics

  • Monbebe, modern permanet cosmetics
  • Entertainment

  • King Restaurant & Night Club, sushi, karoake, live music in Fridley, MN
  • Events

  • A Passport to Korea is FREE, from bloomington.kstp.com


  • *click the picture above for more pics
    {Photos by Salphoto.biz}
    Photobucket

    *sponsored by NoPAK.org
    "... is an organization of progressive adopted Koreans who value professional and social relationships with one another. We are people with powerful life experiences with similar goals and challenges which has bonded us together to further enrich our lives...
    Passport to Korea at Mall of America on July 9th 2010

    Related Sites:
    South Korea at the Mall of America- The South Korean government's first-ever Passport to Korea cultural event lands at the Mall of America. By KATE McCARTHY, Special to the Star Tribune Last update: April 24, 2009 - 5:36 PM startribune.com
    Maangchi on Fox 9 Morning News, July 11 2010

    "You can read more about the event at my website This is me being interviewed at NOPAK.org's "Passport to Korea" in the Mall of America for Fox 9 Morning News, KMSP-TV Minneapolis-St. Paul. July 11 2010."
    LCTA SWAT at Mall of America part1 , from youtube.com
    "FOX TV interviewing Master.Yong Hyeok Lee from Lee's Champion Taekwondo Academy at Mall of America for Passport to Korea event. LCTA SWAT Team Taekwondo demonstration.www.leeschampion.com"

    Food

    -Restaurant

  • Sole Cafe

  • "...Located in the vibrant Twin Cities of Minnesota, we are in the heart of St. Paul's Mini Koreatown, off Snelling Avenue. Sole, (솔) which means evergreen ("forever" in Korean) offers a menu of food options made with all-natural, local ingredients when possible. Nothing is packaged or processed. Our Korean-born chef makes no shortcuts when it comes to serving you the best meal possible. Our attentive and friendly wait staff will ensure a pleasurable dining experience for you. There are plenty of meat, seafood, vegetarian, and vegan items on our menu.
    Hours of operation:
    •11:00 am - 8:30 pm, Tuesdays - Thursdays
    •11:00 am - 9:00 pm, Fridays - Sundays
    •Please note that we are closed on Mondays.
    •On Friday and Saturday nights we will stay open past 9:00 pm by appointment only if you wish to use our karaoke machine...

    Bul Goki (Korean)..http://asian.goodnewseverybody.com

    -Stores
    Dong Yang Oriental Foods; Central Plaza 725 45th Ave. NE; Columbia Heights, MN 55421; 763.571.2009 "MN's Largest Korean Grocery Store & Cafe"
    -Delicacy
    Wang Food
    *I love the Sukina: Garder Congele Rice Cakes, which I bought at Kim's Oriental in N. Snelling Ave.; St. Paul

    State-GoodnewsMinnesota

    Adoption

  • Coming Home Society of Minesota, assisting Korean children in need
  • Korean Adoptees Ministry, based in Roseville, MN
  • -Testimonies
    My Life So Far - by Peter Schmidt Oct. 3, 2004 (Church of All Nations in Brooklyn Park, MN)
    "Even now, I have many emotional problems I deal with on a day to day basis. I am uncomfortable around large groups of people. A combination of deep insecurity, paranoia, and drug use has damaged my memory and severely impaired the ability to create new memories. I have a hard time trusting people. I occasionally get aggressive and have a hard time controlling my temper. I also suffer from hallucinations, appetite problems, sleeping problems, and a host of other health issues. I used to smoke six packs a day, but I�ve been able to cut it down to one. I need God�s help to quit completely. All of my experiences since my teenage years have left me emotionally cold and physically weakened. But I�ve learned that you can�t live in the past. I now know that constant regret is a foolish waste of time and that I need to build on my past to create a better future....
    ...I shared my entire life story with Pastor Jin, and then he asked me if I was a Christian. Having never gone to church or having any Christian family or friends, I did not really know what that meant. When he shared that God loves me for who I am, has loved me from my birth, and will love me to the end, I remember saying to Pastor Jin, �This is the good news I�ve always been waiting to hear.� He told me that his church needed people like me to be a part of the body of Christ. I remember thinking that that was the first time anyone had told me that I was important and needed. I prayed with him to accept Jesus Christ into my life and be born again. Even though my memory is not very good, I will always remember August 1, 2004 as my spiritual birthday when I became a Christian."

    Arts

  • Koreana, magazine on rich cultural heritage on current artistic & cultural activities
  • Yeong Yeong Book Company, publishers of Korean books
  • Foods

    -Grocery Store

  • Seoul Foods Minnesota

  • Address 1071 E Moore Lake Dr. Fridley, MN 55432 Phone 763-572-0079
    Store Hours * Mon-Sat: 10 am to 8 pm * Sun: Noon to 6 pm
    "Serving the community for over 13 years, Seoul Foods is an Asian supermarket that carries over 2,000 items from over 7 countries including China, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Thailand, and Korea.
    In our store, you will always find the freshest, highest quality meat, seafood and produce. You will also find delicious “Ready to Eat” foods and an excellent assortment of Asian snacks, candies and beverages along with unique ice creams and bakeries. We also have a variety section of kitchenware, gifts, Korean movies and phone cards.
    Recently, we have remodeled our store in 2003 and expanded our frozen section to serve you with more variety of foods. Visit us today at our spacious 5,500 square foot store as we are geared to provide you with a "Best Taste of Korea" at its best!"

    -Restaurants

  • Hoban Restaurant,

  • 1989 Silver Bell Road
    Eagan, MN 55122
    651-688-3447

    Media

  • Korean Quarterly, newspaper bridging all types of Koreans
  • Nation-GoodnewsUSA.Info

    Adoption

    Adoption - A Korean Adoptee Thinks She's White

    "Lynne Connor, a Korean adoptee, discusses how she grew up viewing herself as white"

  • Adopted the Movie
  • Korean Adoptee Films

  • Crossing Chasms by Jennifer Arndt-Amazon.com, Price: $29.95 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping

  • Kick Starter


  • Education

  • Century of the Tiger, 100 years of Korean culture in America
  • Hawaii Press, asian books
  • White Pine Press, Korean Voices Series
  • English

  • Carter returning from North Korea with detained American,, August 26th, 2010 10:21 PM ET news.blogs.cnn.com

  • Why Did Aijalon Gomes Cross Into North Korea? by Doualy Xaykaothao August 24, 2010 npr.org

  • "In January, American Aijalon Gomes walked into North Korea from China. Several months later, a court there sentenced Gomes to eight years in a labor camp. A few weeks ago, the North's official state media reported that the 31-year-old from Boston had tried to commit suicide.
    For two years, Gomes taught English at Chungui Middle School, about an hour-and-a-half from the South Korean capital, Seoul.
    Former student Lee Yee He recalls that Gomes often rode his bike to school, and smelled of red ginseng candy.
    "It's a kind of sweet smell," Lee says.
    The teenager points to a place across the playground where Gomes liked to eat lunch by himself. Most teachers in South Korea eat meals together.
    The student says in the classroom, there was one subject in particular that he cared about intensely.
    "He showed us the relationship between South Korea and North Korea, and how they were different," Lee says.
    She says her teacher was serious but also funny.
    "I just want people to know that he was very nice and a very fun person," Lee adds.
    Gomes also likes to sing in Korean. Lee says one of his favorite songs is "You Were Born to Be Loved," performed by the South Korean Christian band Love.
    "I don't know why exactly he did it [entered North Korea] but he just — I'm sure he felt that God was saying to him good can come out of this," says English teacher Marius van Broekhuizen, who is from South Africa.
    Van Broekhuizen says he talked and prayed with Gomes nearly every week for more than a year.
    "Aijalon's focus moved away from just having a good time to meaning something to the people around him — from first living for his own pleasure toward loving people and being sacrificial and that," van Broekhuizen says. "We did have a good time together, definitely. But it was more a deep relationship, than just a fun relationship, and I learned a lot from him."
    Van Broekhuizen speculates that his friend went to North Korea to find a purpose in his life.
    "As an outsider, it seems incredibly stupid what he did, but Aijalon stopped living for himself awhile ago," van Broekhuizen says. "If you know him, you would understand that everything that he did was to benefit the people around him. And I'm sure he was convinced that what he did could in a way help the people of North Korea to be free again."
    Both van Broekhuizen and Gomes attended the Every Nation Church of Korea in Seoul. American Robert Park, who attended the same church, had walked into North Korea one month before Gomes did. North Korea detained Park for six weeks but then released him.
    "I don't know why it happened, but, it just, amazingly, just two members from our church going to North Korea," says Simon Suh, pastor of Every Nation Church. "I just want people to know that from my message, or our church orientation, that we don't encourage people to go to North Korea."
    Pastor Suh says Gomes and Park may have been drawn to the North because of what he described as passionate prayers by defectors now living in the South, many of whom attend their small church.
    "There are several occasions that we'd been really praying for the family members who came from North Korea, and hiding in our shelter in China," Suh says. "We've been specifically praying for those people, and I believe that Aijalon was very much moved about those events."
    When Pastor Suh heard news that Gomes had attempted suicide in a North Korean jail, he felt compelled to do something.
    "I felt like I need to get really involved and try to help him," Suh said.
    When asked why he feels a sense of responsibility, the pastor answered, "Aijalon and I had several counseling sessions where he really wants to pray and find out God's will. A lot of times he really didn't know whether he needs to stay in Korea or go back to the states. So he said, 'Pastor Simon, that's just one of the prayers that I'm constantly praying: What is next in my life?' "
    Joo Gyung-bae, a North Korean refugee who is also a member of the congregation, remembers sharing his life's struggles with Gomes during prayer meetings. He says Gomes didn't talk much, but you could see he cared more deeply than others, especially about the people of North Korea and the extreme hardships they face.
    "He loved us more than anyone," Joo says. "His heart really ached for us, unconditionally — that's how he felt when he left us, with no hope for any reward. I trust in Mr. Gomes because I believe that Jesus sent him, and that he carried Jesus' love with him."
    But professor Park Young Whan of Seoul Theological University says people should remember that there are officially sanctioned churches that exist to support Kim Jong-il's regime. This kind of border-crossing, he says, is seen as a challenge to the regime and may have hurt Christian groups with missions in North Korea.
    "We believe and understand that Mr. Gomes entered North Korea with God's plan and goal in mind," Park says. "As for his way of going about it, we regret that he did not act more wisely, that he did not refrain from provoking North Korea."
    Earlier this month, North Korea allowed a State Department team to visit Pyongyang. The U.S. officials, including a doctor, saw Gomes at a hospital but he remains in North Korea.
    State Department spokesman Philip Crowley says the Obama administration is worried about Gomes and his health, and would like to see him released on humanitarian grounds.
    "For whatever reason he went to North Korea, he doesn't pose a security threat," Crowley said. "We think on that basis he should be returned to the U.S. as soon as possible."
    Thalia Schlesinger, a spokeswoman for Gomes' family, says they are grateful to the North Korean government for the health care being provided to Aijalon. She says the family just wants to bring him home.

    US teacher Aijalon Mahli Gomes get 8 years for crossing into North Korea Richard Lloyd Parry, Asia Editor timesonline.co.uk April 8, 2010
    "..Mr Gomes, an African-American who originally comes from Boston, was arrested on January 25, after crossing the long and porous border which divides North Korea and China. According to friends, he was formerly an English teacher in South Korea, and was moved by accounts of the plight of North Koreans and the oppressive brutality of their regime. ..
    A spokesman for Mr Gomes’ family, Thaleia Schlesinger, told the Associated Press: "The family has no comment beyond that they are praying for him and hoping for his return home as soon as possible. Needless to say, they are disturbed but they are hopeful that he would be returned home to them and they are praying for that." ...

    North Korea Detainee Aijalon Mahli Gomes

    Language

  • Learn Korean and Speak korean
  • Life

    -Peace

    U.S. Teen's Peace Mission to North Korea

    " Added On August 20, 2010 CNN's Emily Chang reports on the visit to North Korea by a 13-year-old American with an ambitious peace plan."
    *see GoodnewsEverybody.com Youth-Adolescents, High School, Teens, Teenagers, etc...

    "12Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity."-1 Timothy 4

    Media

  • Korean Media Cheer Reporters' Release New America Media, News Report, Anthony Advincula and Eunji Jang, Posted: Aug 04, 2009 news.newamericamedia.org

  • "..NEW YORK -- As the news spread about the release of two U.S. journalists from a North Korean prison, the biggest question for some Korean ethnic media is: How about the South Koreans the North has been holding as hostages for years? The pardon earlier today of Current TV reporters Euna Lee and Lisa Ling during the visit of former U.S. President Bill Clinton could just be a reflection of how North Korea is willing to make peace agreements with the United States -- but not with South Korea...
    Lee, 36, was a South Korean native and became a U.S. citizen after she came to the United States in 1995. Ling, 32, was born in the United States and is a younger sister of Lisa Ling, a co-host of ABC's The View.
    Lee and Ling were arrested after accidentally crossing the North Korean border to work on a story for California-based Current TV. ...
    In LauraandEuna.com, the Ling and Lee families expressed their gratitude. ...

    Interview with Lisa Ling, Sister of Laura Ling (Part 1 of 2)

    Journalist Jailed in North Korea has Southern California Church Connection By Michael Ireland Chief Correspondent, ASSIST News Service Tuesday, June 9, 2009 assistnews.net
    "WEST ROSEVILLE, CA (ANS) -- A Southern California church feels a special connection to one of two American journalists sentenced to a harsh prison sentence Monday by the North Korean government.
    Laura Ling, the cousin of Brandon Yip, the worship pastor at Bayside Covenant Church of West Roseville, California, was sentenced along with fellow journalist Euna Lee to 12 years of hard labor in prison in a closed-door trial that began on June 4.
    "Our church is just calling out for prayer for Laura and Euna Lee," Pastor Chuck Wysong said this afternoon, according to Covenant News.
    Ling and Lee have been held since March 17 when North Korean soldiers patrolling the border between China and North Korea detained them.
    According to news accounts, the women were working on a report about North Korean refugees who had fled their homeland in hopes of finding food in China. North Korea officials charge the journalists crossed into North Korean territory "with hostile intent."
    The Central Court of North Korea sentenced Ling and Lee for the "grave crime they committed against the Korean nation and their illegal border crossing," according to the Korean Central News Agency.
    Laura Ling and Euna Lee work for Current TV, a media enterprise of former Vice President Al Gore. She is the younger sister of Lisa Ling, a television journalist who reported undercover in North Korea for National Geographic in 2006. The elder Ling’s report exposed the hardships of living in North Korea.
    "We are deeply concerned by the reported sentencing of the two American citizen journalists by North Korean authorities, and we are engaged through all possible channels to secure their release," said U.S. State Department spokesperson Ian Kelly in a statement.
    "We once again urge North Korea to grant the immediate release of the two American citizen journalists on humanitarian grounds."
    Families plead with N. Korea for release
    According to CNN, in a report to which Elise Labott contributed, the families of the two U.S. journalists have pleaded with North Korea for clemency, urging the communist government to "show compassion" and release them.
    Ling and Lee were arrested on March 17 and sentenced after a closed-door trial for what the state-run North Korean news agency KCNA called the "grave crime they committed against the Korean nation and their illegal border crossing."
    CNN said that in a joint statement Monday, their families said they were "shocked and devastated" by the trial and sentence, and urged Pyongyang "to show compassion and grant Laura and Euna clemency and allow them to return home to their families."
    "Laura and Euna are journalists who went to the China-North Korea border to do a job," they said.
    "We don't know what really happened on March 17, but if they wandered across the border without permission, we apologize on their behalf and we are certain that they have also apologized."
    CNN reported that in Washington, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters the United States is seeking the immediate release of the two journalists on humanitarian grounds.
    "Obviously, we are deeply concerned about the length of the sentences and the fact that this trial was conducted totally in secret with no observers," she said. "And we are engaged in all possible ways, through every possible channel, to secure their release."
    The families said Ling suffers from an unspecified "serious medical condition," and Lee has a 4-year-old daughter "who is displaying signs of anguish over the absence of her mother."
    "We believe that the three months they have already spent under arrest with little communication with their families is long enough," they said.
    CNN said the United States has no diplomatic relations with North Korea, and Sweden represents U.S. interests there. The Swedish ambassador told the U.S. State Department that no observers were allowed in the courtroom for the trial, and the ambassador was allowed to see them only three times.
    Senior Obama Administration officials told CNN that several weeks ago, Clinton wrote a letter to the North Korean leadership appealing for the journalists' release on humanitarian grounds.
    In the letter, officials said, Clinton told the North Koreans that the families were deeply concerned about the women and went into details on their personal situations -- that Ling has serious health problems and Lee is the mother of a young child.
    CNN reported the officials said there has been no response from the North Koreans, and Clinton told reporters she would not discuss "private diplomatic efforts."
    But she said Washington views the case as something separate from the ongoing diplomatic standoff over North Korea's nuclear arms program, CNN stated.
    Several senior administration officials said the idea of sending either former Vice President Gore or New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson to Pyongyang on a mission to get the journalists released has been floated to the North Koreans, according to the CNN report.
    CNN reports the officials said that no answer has come so far, but the expectation has been that once the trial ended, the North would accept a visit by either Gore or Richardson to secure the journalists' release.
    Richardson was cautiously optimistic about the case on Monday.
    "The sentence was harsh, but the good news in the sentence is it was not for espionage -- it was for entering illegally, hostile acts," he told CNN.
    "The rhetoric of the North Koreans has not been terribly harsh against the two women," he added.
    CNN explained that officials said if precedent is any indicator, and given the way the women have been treated -- staying in a hotel for the past few months -- it is possible the women will never see the inside of a prison.
    Richardson traveled to the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, several times to secure the release of an American detainee in 1996 and facilitate the return of the bodies of POWs from the Korean War. In the 1996 case, the United States paid the isolated communist state what were called "hotel bills" for his stay.
    CNN reported that officials said the issue of a possible payment to North Korea has not yet been discussed, but they said the United States would not be averse to playing along.
    Jim Jacobson, President of Christian Freedom International (CFI), which has often lobbied on behalf of those detained by restrictive government regimes, called the sentence, "tragic."
    In a statement obtained by ANS, he said: "I suspect they will be released, but not soon. The only silver lining is that North Korea has shown leniency to Americans in the past.
    "In 1996 it took three months to get a guy out, but relations with the United States weren't as bad as they are now. There will be a fair amount of negotiating and talking, and then I suspect they will make a 'humanitarian' gesture, expecting something in return."
    ANS founder, Dan Wooding, one of the few Christian journalists to report from North Korea, believes that the harsh sentences given to Laura Ling and Euna Lee, is part of a game of 'chicken' the North Koreans are playing to try and gain an advantage in their dispute with the United States about their nuclear status.
    "The North Koreans are trying to flex their muscles in this dispute and want the United States to eat humble pie about their criticism of their nuclear aspirations," he said.
    "I don’t believe they plan to keep the two journalists for long, but are holding them hostage in a game of who blinks first.
    "The North Koreans, from my first-hand experience, are so cut off from world opinion, that they don’t understand how bad they look by holding these two journalists."
    Wooding, who went to North Korea in 1994 after the death of Kim Il-sung, said he was astonished how little the North Koreans understand about the rest of the world.
    "They do things like sentencing these two journalists as a way to gain respect, but quite the opposite is the case," he said.
    "I hope and pray that they will soon wake up to the fact that no one but themselves, sees any point in keeping the journalists any longer. If they really want America, and the rest of the free world to respect them, they will free them immediately."

    Military

    -Wars

  • Korean War

  • Wikipedia

  • "was an escalation of border clashes between two rival Korean regimes, each of which was supported by external powers, with each trying to topple the other through political and conventional tactics. In a very narrow sense, some may refer to it as a civil war, though many other factors were at play.[16] After failing to strengthen their cause in the free elections held in South Korea during May 1950[17] and the refusal of South Korea to hold new elections per North Korean demands, the communist North Korean Army assaulted the South on June 25, 1950. The conflict was then expanded by the United States and the Soviet Union's involvement as part of the larger Cold War. The main hostilities were during the period from June 25, 1950 until the armistice (ceasefire agreement) was signed on July 27, 1953..."
    Korean War: in Color

    "The Korean War known as The Forgotton War was fought over 50 years ago. Our young men fought and died as they are dying today in Iraq. Powerful anti-war statement."
    Saints at War - "In Korea" Part 2

    "This is truly a remarkable documentary"
    Faith in War; Ryan's Story Part II

    "It's hard to explain how war fits into God's plan or even how it can be any part of a plan designed by a loving a merciful God. It is probably best left for those who are scholars of God's Word like Pastor Ray Logan, a former military chaplain who counseled those during the Korean War to try and explain."
    Honoring Korean War Veterans

    "A news package about the Korean War Memorial in Plover, Wisconsin. Features Navy Veteran Robert Patrekis and his anecdotes on serving during this period in American history.
    Done as part of Newschannel 7's Your Town Plover series.
    Produced at WSAW Newschannel 7 in Wausau, Wisconsin. Written and voiced by Lauren Bergoyne, photographed and edited by Erik Cieslewicz."

    Missions

  • Jesus Korea, map of churces around the country
  • Korean American Missions Resources
  • Reversing the American Dream By Gordon Govier Special to ASSIST News Service Wednesday, February 17, 2010

  • "ST. LOUIS MO (ANS) -- Michael Oh faced two huge obstacles on his road to becoming a missionary and a seminary president in Nagoya, Japan. One was Japan’s legacy of imperialism in East Asia during the twentieth century. The other was the American Dream. But without either, he would not be where he is today.
    Living Under Imperialism
    His Korean family’s Christian roots go back five generations to the early Michael Oh speaking at Urbana 09
    Michael Oh speaking at Urbana 09 (photo by InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA) twentieth century; they were among the first Korean converts to Christianity. But when his father was born, Korea was under Japanese occupation. His father was given a Japanese name and was beaten when he spoke Korean.
    As a grad student, studying anthropology and Japanese history, Michael discovered that the tensions he had felt in his family toward the Japanese were part of a much larger history. Japanese imperialism caused suffering that claimed millions of victims all over East Asia. One historian has calculated that as many as 30 million Koreans, Chinese, Vietnamese, Filipinos, Cambodians, Indonesians, and others were slaughtered before and during WWII.
    “As I learned that, the anger of the Korean people became my own,” he said as he gave his testimony at Urbana 09, InterVarsity’s student missions conference. “That anger threatened the ministry that the Lord had called me to lead in Japan.”
    It was only after the Lord reminded him of the depths of his own sinful nature and the price that had been paid on the cross to redeem him that he was freed from that anger. “I knew then that I could claim no human right to hate or accuse another,” he said.
    Pursuing the American Dream
    Michael’s parents emigrated to the U.S. in 1970 to pursue the American Dream. They worked hard and reaped the rewards, as many immigrant families have done. They made sure that Michael and his sister had every opportunity. But pursuing the American dream also had a price, Michael and his sister did not see much of their father. “Up through my toddler years I hardly knew him,” he said.
    At the University of Pennsylvania Michael got involved with InterVarsity, attended Urbana 90, participated in evangelism and missions projects, and became a leader of the chapter. By the time he was a senior, he felt God calling him to the mission field. But when he told this to his father, after church one Sunday afternoon, his father said, “no.”
    Michael’s father told him that he wanted to look forward to more family time together, and in particular quality time with his grandchildren. Michael thanked his father for all of his sacrifices, but he said that he could not turn his back on God’s call.
    “I told him that I refuse to live my life just to work hard so I can make lots of money so my kids can have every opportunity to go to a good college, get a good job and make lots of money so their kids can have every opportunity to go to a good college and make lots of money.”
    Michael’s father eventually accepted Michael’s decision. Today he supports Michael in his ministry, as well as Michael’s sister, who is also preparing for the mission field with her husband.
    “My father had an independent spirit, and he understood that if he would do such a radical thing in leaving Asia to come to America to pursue earthly dreams, how much more so does he need to allow God to do what God would do, to allow his son to return to Asia to follow the dream to share the gospel of Jesus Christ,” Michael said.
    Moving to Japan
    Michael and his wife completed their schooling and moved to Japan in January of 2004, after serving as short-term missionaries there several years earlier. In this largely un-evangelized country, where Christians make up less than one quarter of one percent of the population, they had discovered that the biggest need was for a good seminary to train young leaders. Christ Bible Seminary opened in Nagoya in April, 2005.
    “I had no interest or calling to theological education necessarily, but I wanted to do what could be most effective,” Michael said. He also pastors a church in Nagoya and has begun preparing to plant churches and other ministries in other parts of Japan.
    One of his biggest concerns is Japan’s young people, and providing safe space for them to grow up. “Japanese society for young people is predatory,” he said. “There are 30,000 suicides per year. There’s lots of bullying. And Japan is one of the few societies where possession of child pornography is legal.”
    Looking back, Michael realized that one of the most important steps in his entire life was connecting with InterVarsity’s ministry during his first week on campus at the University of Pennsylvania. “It was a lifeline for me,” he said. “It was the single dynamic that God used to prevent me from falling into any number of pits that I was wired to fall into, such as the pursuit of wealth and power, sexual temptation, and the idolatry of intellectual pursuit.”
    Today Michael is pursuing a dream that is much larger than the American Dream of personal fulfillment. He is pursuing a dream of peace and reconciliation for the Japanese people through the gospel of Jesus Christ."

    Sports

    -Football
    Hines Ward, 2006 Super Bowl MVP of the Pittsburg Steelers
    *saw a cool documentary of his story growing-up biracial in South Korea and was looked down upon..
    South Korea embraces Pittsburgh's Hines Ward AP , SEOUL Wednesday, Apr 05, 2006,Page 18 (Taipei Times)
    " Half-Korean Super Bowl MVP Hines Ward reached out yesterday to a country that has suddenly embraced him as a hero, expressing pride in his Korean roots although he shunned that side of his heritage after facing prejudice as a child.
    "I'm proud to be a Korean, and that's something that when I was little as a kid I used to be ashamed of," Ward told a sea of journalists packed into a conference room at the central Seoul hotel where he was staying in a complimentary suite normally reserved for world leaders.
    Ward was virtually unknown here before the Super Bowl, where American football isn't widely followed.
    But since the Pittsburgh Steelers' February victory and Ward's MVP award, he has become a media phenomenon in South Korea -- also drawing attention to the discrimination faced here by children of mixed parentage. Ward was born in Seoul to a Korean mother, and his father was an African-American soldier.

    Global-Multicultural

    Adoptees

    Baby Found in Garbage

    "Miracle of hope and inspiration. This film is a story of my life and how I was saved from a garbage dump in Korea to be living God\'s will for my life. Special Thanks to Holt International for permission to use this historical footage. \r\n \r\nI am currently on the Winter Jam 09 concert tour sharing my story and music on behalf of orphan children for Holt International. \r\n \r\nPlease visit my personal website at: www.MyStoryKim.com \r\nOr if you are interested in helping ophan children like me please \r\nvisit. www.HoltInternational.org \r\n \r\nYou can write me directly at: k.jd@comcast.net"

  • Adoptive Family Travel, korean ties
  • Dillon Int'l, Korea brithland tours
  • Holt International, adoptee resources
  • KAAN Conference
  • Korean Adoptees Worldwide
  • Overseas Adopted Koreans, foundation est 1997

  • Stephanie Fast was abandoned at the age of 4

    "Abandoned at the age of four to wander the war-torn Korean countryside, Stephanie Fast has a remarkable story of survival. She was persecuted and tortured because of her bi-racial ethnicity. Abused on the city streets and finally discarded and left to die in a garbage dump."

    Career-Job Opportunities

  • Korea Devolpment Bank, a friend Jiwon (UMM Int'l Alumn) works here
  • Cartoons

  • Dong Haeng, cartoonist

  • *was forwarded to his website from a friend-Jac R. (Dec 2005)

    Children

    The Next Generation

    "Children and young people are the next generation of our churches."

    Christianity

  • Bible, in Korean
  • Christian Answers, any questions about Christianity? (Korean)
  • God's Story, 80-minute video from Genesis to Revelation (Korean)
  • Church

  • Yoido Full Gospel Church

  • Yoido Full Gospel Church

    "A snippet of worship at Yoido"
    *I decided to re"search" more of this church after hearing a story (at a recent Men's Retreat on Saturday, Dec 6th of 2008) of the Korean pastor praying (30 days) for a woman prostitute for healing before building largest church. It was a challenge from a Bhuddist "priest" that had his temple next door to this proposed "church". The Bhuddist "ok" the pastor to build this church if this woman gets healed from her sickness. It wasn't until the last (30th) day after a dream of him saying "Go away in Jesus' name..." to this "seductive" woman going up to him, which this image turned to a serpent that slid way...
    see GoodnewsEverybody: Ministry-Healing
    Wikipedia
    "is a Christian church on Yeouido Island in Seoul, South Korea. With about 830,000 members (2007), it is the largest Christian congregation in the world.[1] Founded and led by David Yonggi Cho since 1958, it is one of the most internationally visible manifestations of Korean Christianity....
    This was the first time that international leadership of the denomination of fifty million members in sixty countries had passed out of American hands. He served in this capacity until August 2000. Pastor David Yonggi Cho, now assisted by a total of 171 associate pastors and 356 lay pastors, continues to lead the Yoido Full Gospel Church, whose status as the world's largest congregation has been recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records...
    Pastor David Yonggi Cho began preaching on the Three-Fold Blessing (the blessing of the spirit, soul, and body), proclaiming that physical health and financial prosperity are as much a part of God's will for Christians as the salvation of the soul. Inspired by his message of hope and monetary wealth, many previously uncommitted people joined the church, and by the beginning of 1961, membership had grown to a thousand.[citation needed] Having grown too large for its tent, the church purchased its first plot of land, at Seodaemun (서대문)...

    Historical Background Of Paul Yonggi Cho and Yoido Full Gospel Church Spring 2000 By Jeremy Reynalds
    ".. Cho had rejected the Buddhism of his youth during the time he was dying from tuberculosis.
    Apparently, he said that if he was to ever get well he would like to become a medical doctor. Cho claims to have been converted after Jesus Christ appeared to him in the middle of the night, healed him, call him to preach and filled him with the Holy Spirit. Upon his graduation from Bible School, Cho planted the church for which he is so well known today. .."

    CYBERJOURNAL FOR PENTECOSTAL-CHARISMATIC RESEARCH - The Yoido Full Gospel Church By Dr. H. Vinson Synan (from pctii.org)
    "... With the end of the Korean war came freedom for the churches in South Korea to develop freely and to again receive help from abroad. It was in this period that the first American pentecostal denominations established Korean mission fields. (5)
    The first of these was the American Assemblies of God Church which sent Abner Chesnut as their first missionary to Korea in 1952. Chesnut's first contacts were with the Chosun Pentecostal church which was still led by Sung San Park. The official name of the work was the "Korea Mission of the Pentecostal Church." As early as 1939, Mary Rumsey had applied to the American Assemblies of God to serve as a missionary to Korea. During world War Two she was looked on as an "unofficial representative" of the Assemblies of God. In 1953 the Korean Assemblies of God were organized with the Subinggo church and its branches as the nucleus of the new denomination. The next year, the Korean Assemblies of God opened their first Korean Bible School which attracted young Korean preachers for Bible studies. One of the first of these young students was Paul Yonggi Cho, a capable and young aspiring pastor whose family had suffered severe privations in the Korean War.."

  • Manmin "Manna" Church, largest church (building) in the world-located in Seoul, Korea!
  • Education

  • People Korea, global community
  • -Teaching ESL

    From : George Allison orginial message
    Sent : Monday, April 19, 2004 1:18 AM
    To : saldapal@
    Subject : Job Offer: Teach ESL in Korea Now!!!

    Hello, I am a recruiter representing many Korean schools. I am wondering if you might be interested in teaching in Korea? Based on your qualifications, I can offer you a salary of over $20,000-30000 US, including free return airfare from anywhere in the world. 2 week paid vacation (all holidays), single or shared housing, health insurance, sponsored work permit, etc. We only require a one year contract. There is a bonus of approx one month salary after you renew your contract. * must have a university degree Applications WILL NOT be processed without a RESUME AND PICTURE. NATIVE SPEAKERS ONLY. Yours very truly, George Allison, Recruiter

  • Teach English in Korea
  • Teach Korea
  • Teach English as a Second Language, missionfinder.org
  • WELS (Lutheran denomination) Kingdom Workers, local ESL teacher abroad listings
  • Foods

  • Bul Gogi, from chow.com


  • Korean Food: Bulgogi (Korean BBQ) (불고기)

    "Bulgogi is one of the most famous Korean foods. Many foreigners visit Korea and try this delicious dish and love it. It not only has good flavor, but the way of eating this food is unique. We usually grill bulgogi on the table while we are eating a meal in a restaurant. Wrap bulgogi with lettuce and add soybean paste, garlic, onion, carrot, or cucumber depending on your taste. If you have a chance to visit Korea, I recommend you to try bulgogi. If you don't? Then, try my recipe at home. hehe *^^*"
    *referred by Dong Wook Kim for the UMM International Student Picnic at East Side Park on Friday, August 20th 2010
    Luscious Bulgogi (Korean Beef Stir-fry) Recipe (Picture) asianinfo.org

    -Kimchi

  • Kimchi, from lifeinkorea.com

  • "... represents Korea's best known food. Koreans serve kimchi at almost every meal, and few Koreans can last more than a few days before cravings get the better of them. During the 1988 Summer Olympic Games, thousands of foreigners were introduced to it for the first time. Despite a reputation for being spicy, most people usually develop a taste for it, and many foreigners also find themselves missing it after returning to their home country...
    Making Kimchi

    "Full recipe here: http://www.maangchi.com/rec...
    Making Kimchi and Kkakdooki (radish kimchi) with Maangchi. ..

  • Kimchi Making Rising Amid Flu Epidemic By Jane Han Staff Reporter koreatimes.co.kr

  • "..So why the sudden move toward tradition again?
    The Gmarket poll shows that the widespread swine flu epidemic is the biggest reason behind people's newfound interest in the fermented vegetable dish.
    "Fermented food is believed to help strengthen the human immune system, so kimchi is emerging as a good solution among health-conscious individuals," says Baek...

    Swine Flu VS. Kimchi Warrior

    "Can KIMCHI cure SWINE FLU(and other diseases?) by NY Wellness Examiner
    Korean kimchi, that fermented mash of vegetables, garlic, peppers and fish juice is credited as being one of the healthiest foods on earth, packed with anti-oxidants, minerals and healthy bacteria (also lots of sodium) Kimchi has been anecdotally found to prevent and kill SARS (bird flu) virus. Kimchi has been credited with helping Koreans repel foreign invaders for centuries. Sure more "scientific" study needs to be done to confirm the hunch, but it's like chicken soup. It can't hurt.
    Kimchi is most often eaten as a side dish or added to soups. If anyone reading this has swine flu, ahem H1N1, or knows someone who does, please feed them kimchi and report back.
    But you don't have to have swine flu. If you have cold, stomach virus, food poisoning etc. Get back to me let me know what this stuff can actually do. I eat extra when I'm sick and it does make me feel better, and helps open my nasal passages. Gung-bae!..

    *see GoodnewsEverybody.com Health, Wellness, Medical Issues, etc...

    Geography

  • Interactive Map, by province
  • -Cities

    Songdo Vision , youtube.com
    "www.galeintl.com
    www.songdo.com
    A flyover of Songdo International Business District,"

    *computer "futuristic" city found by [5/5] People Wake Up NWO isn't Wasting Time ! - Music Videos
    Songdo City - Cisco Connected City

    Songdo Future City - Level Up (Ep. 25)

    20091019 CNN Songdo

    Gospel

    Taize- Bless The Lord My Soul

    "missionary training. Share this video with friends!"

    History

  • Korean War
  • Issues

    -Hell

    Young Korean Girl Goes To Hell And Lives To Tell The Tale: What She Saw

    "http://depressionfree.yolasite.com 여기에 나옦 그림들은 주 예수님께서 직접 데려 가서 보여 주싞 것을 그린 것입니다. 화가는 2009 년 4 월에 교회의 철야 기도회에 참석하고 있었는데, 그 철야 기도는 1 년 넘게 계속되고 있습니다. http://spiritlessons.com/Documents/Pictures_from_the_PIT/Korean_Pictures_from...


    Young Korean goes to hell and lives to tell tale"

    Missions


    *see
    Bible

  • South Korea * Journal 1993, from The Official Website of Arthur Blessitt

  • " The cross in South Korea Denise and the cross in South Korea
    When my wife, Denise and I arrived at the airport in Seoul we rented a car and drove to Iri. There we started the cross walk. Denise would drive up the road a few miles and park and wait for me to arrive. She had water and refreshments and our bags.
    South Korea impressed us mostly with the vast number of churches. Often I would see from ten to twenty steeples with crosses at once. How different from the rest of Asia. We had a good walk in the country with the cross. It's a mixture of rice patties and factories. As we were walking toward Seoul people seemed very shocked to see me carrying the cross. Most wanted to know which church I am with. They were very church oriented. A man just walking the road with a large cross was surprising them.
    Arthur Blessitt and the cross in South Korea The cross in South Korea
    The Lord spoke to me one day along the roadside, "It's time to go home, this is a long trip around the world". When I told Denise she fell into my arms and we shed tears together. I was very tired at this part on the trip. We had been in countries in Asia for six months.
    We had traveled by plane around the world, taking 47 flights, and traveled on boats, taxis, buses, trains, three wheel motorcycles, rickshaws, been through so many airport and customs, walked in city after city. Jesus did it. It was time to go home for a rest. We drove to Seoul and flew back to Florida.
    We had conversations with the people and prayed with some to come to Jesus.
    A pilgrim follower of Jesus,
    Arthur Blessitt
    Luke 18:1

    *see GoodnewsEverybody.com Movies: The Passion, Crucification, Easter, Resurrection, etc..

  • Korean Internet Resources
  • Movies

  • Chi-hwa-seon (Painted Fire), from Kino

  • *first Korean movie I saw (July 2006)-rented from UMM Briggs Library

    Music

    -Hip Hop

    PSY - GANGNAM STYLE (강남스타일) M/V

    Rapper Psy brings 'Gangnam Style' to U.S.

    " CNN|Added on September 19, 2012You may know the song but do you know who's behind the hit, "Gangnam Style"? CNN's Michael Holmes reports.

    -Shows

    Homeless Boy Wows Judges on Korea's Got Talent - Inspirational Videos ourprecioussavior

    "Tear jerker alert! Sung Bong Choi has been dealt an incredibly tough hand at life, being an orphan since a very early age, living on the streets alone for 10 years of his childhood selling gum and energy drinks to get by. Sung has not only an angelic voice, he has incredible perseverance to overcome the bad odds in his life and finally has his chance to change his life."
    *see GoodnewsEverybody.com Social Issues: Homeless, Needy, Poverty, Poor, etc...

    -Worship
    The One Thing-Brian Kim Worship@S.Korea

    "Brian Kim Live Worship The One Thing with KRYGEN BAND @Seoul, South Korea"

    Persecution

    Christians Persecuted In North Korea

    "Persecution of the Church"

    -Korean Businessman Beheaded (6/21/04)

  • Koreans will continue to serve in missions, in spite of threats against them in the Middle East., from Mission Network News
  • -23 South Korean Hostages Held by the Taliban in Afghanistan (7/25/07)
  • Fear overcome for sake of hostages Posted: 26 July, 2007 (Mission Network News) * Topics in this story: * demonstration, * hostages, * south korea, * taliban

  • "Tuesday, locals in the Ghazni Province held a demonstration for the hostages' release, knowing they are Christians. This is a surprising act, considering the fear that surrounds the Taliban. Many people don't dare oppose the Taliban out of fear for their families' safety."
  • South Korean Hostage Beheaded By Captors, from Crosswalk: Religion Today
  • South Korean hostage killed by Taliban By AMIR SHAH, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 38 minutes ago (yahoo.news)

  • " KABUL, Afghanistan - Afghan police discovered the bullet-riddled body of a male hostage on Wednesday, one of 23 South Koreans kidnapped by the Taliban last week.
    Because of a recent spike in kidnappings � including an attempt against a Danish citizen Wednesday � police barred foreigners from leaving the Afghan capital without their permission.
    South Korea reacted early Thursday by saying it would not tolerate the killing of an innocent civilian and vowed the kidnappers would be held accountable. It demanded the immediate release of the remaining hostages.
    "The killing of an innocent civilian cannot be justified under any circumstance or for any reason," Baek Jong-chun, chief presidential secretary for security affairs, said in a statement. The kidnappers "will be held accountable for taking the life of a Korean citizen."
    The South Korean victim was found with 10 bullet holes in his head, chest and stomach in the Mushaki area of Qarabagh district in Ghazni province, the region where the group was seized July 19 while riding a bus, said Abdul Rahman, a police officer.
    A police official, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the situation, said militants told him the hostage was sick and couldn't walk and was therefore shot.
    South Korea's Foreign Ministry identified the victim as 42-year-old Bae Hyung-kyu.
    A Western official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to disclose information, said reports had circulated Wednesday that eight of the hostages had been released. But he said those reports had never been confirmed.
    Marajudin Pathan, the governor of Ghazni province, said the militants were still holding the remaining 22 South Korean hostages.
    "No one has been released, and there has not been any exchange," Pathan told The Associated Press over the phone. "They are still in Taliban custody."
    A South Korean official declined to comment Thursday on the condition of the remaining hostages or whether they had been transferred.
    "The eight South Koreans are not in South Korean custody," the official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue.
    Pathan said authorities were in contact with kidnappers early Thursday trying to secure the Koreans' freedom. The militants gave a list of eight Taliban prisoners who they want released in exchange for eight Koreans, he said.
    An Afghan official involved in the negotiations earlier said a large sum of money would be paid to free eight of the hostages. The official also spoke on condition he not be identified, citing the matter's sensitivity. No other officials would confirm this account.
    Foreign governments are suspected to have paid for the release of hostages in Afghanistan in the past, but have either kept it quiet or denied it outright. The Taliban at one point demanded that 23 jailed militants be freed in exchange for the Koreans.
    The South Koreans, including 18 women, were kidnapped while on a bus trip through Ghazni province on the Kabul-Kandahar highway, Afghanistan's main thoroughfare.
    South Korea has banned its citizens from traveling to Afghanistan in the wake of the kidnappings. Seoul also asked Kabul not to issue visas to South Koreans and to block their entry into the country.
    Baek will fly to Afghanistan later Thursday as a presidential envoy to consult with top Afghan officials on how to secure the release of the remaining captives.
    The South Korean church that the abductees attend has said it will suspend at least some of its volunteer work in Afghanistan. It also stressed that the Koreans abducted were not involved in any Christian missionary work, saying they provided only medical and other volunteer aid to distressed people in the war-ravaged country.
    Two Germans were also kidnapped last week. One was found dead and the other apparently remains captive. A Danish reporter of Afghan origin escaped a kidnap attempt in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday, the Danish Foreign Ministry said.
    The unidentified man "was close to being caught but managed to get away and reach a local police station," Foreign Ministry spokesman Ole Neustrup said. The Dane was first reported to be German but that report was false, Khan said.
    The series of recent kidnappings prompted the Afghan government to forbid foreigners living in Kabul from leaving the city without police permission.
    Police said officials stationed at checkpoints at the city's main gates would stop foreigners from leaving the capital unless they informed officials 24 hours in advance of their travel plans, said Esmatullah Dauladzai, Kabul's provincial police chief.
    Elsewhere, NATO's International Security Assistance Force said a soldier was killed in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday by a rocket-propelled grenade. ISAF didn't release the soldier's nationality, but the majority of troops in the east are American.
    Britain said one of its soldiers was killed and two others injured when an explosion struck their vehicle in southern Helmand province on Wednesday.
    The U.S.-led coalition said 20 suspected Taliban militants were killed Wednesday after a failed ambush on coalition and Afghan troops in Kandahar province.

    Associated Press writers Noor Khan and Jason Straziuso in Kabul, Afghanistan and Kwang-Tae Kim in Seoul, South Korea contributed to this report."
    Taliban: 2 female Koreans to be freed, By AMIR SHAH, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 46 minutes ago (news.yahoo 8/11/07)
    ""God willing the government (of Afghanistan) and the government of Korea will accept this," Bashir said outside the Ghazni office of the Afghan Red Cross, which is acting as a neutral intermediary. "Definitely these people will be released. God willing our friends (Taliban militants in prison) will be released.""
  • Taliban agrees to release hostages, missions work at risk Print ViewMobile VersionPosted: 29 August, 2007 Topics in this story: afghanistan , asia , hostages , open doors , south korea

  • " Bibles are needed for Christians in restricted access nations. (Open Doors photo)
    Afghanistan (MNN) � Taliban insurgents and South Korean negotiators have come to an agreement that allows for the release of the remaining 19 South Korean Christians. The insurgent group seized 23 Korean volunteers on July 19 from a bus in Ghazni province. The Taliban later released two women hostages as a gesture of goodwill during the first round of talks. Two others were killed.
    However, the agreement could have an impact on missions work in Afghanistan, says the President of Open Doors USA Carl Moeller. "The most troubling aspect of this announcement for us is that there is an apparent commitment by the South Korean government to restrict missionary activity on the part of Christians from South Korea."
    South Korea's presidential Blue House issued a statement saying their agreement was on condition that it withdraw its troops from Afghanistan within the year and stop its nationals doing missionary work there.
    Taliban representative, Qari Mohammad Bashir, confirmed a deal had been struck. But the Taliban demands did not include their main previous condition -- the release of a group of militants held prisoner by the Afghan government.
    Moeller is concerned about this agreement. "Governments may want to use this in future cases as an opportunity to appease the Taliban or other extremist groups, but I can say also clearly that there are always going to be Christians who go where faith costs the most, no matter what the government's restrictions might be."
    Open Doors support Christians in countries where it's illegal to practice their faith, and owning a Bible is equally unlawful. However, Open Doors provides them with God's Word, but they need your help. "$4 will deliver a Bible anywhere in the world to a persecuted Christian. The places we go and things that we do to get that Bible into the hands of a believer are somewhat extreme in some of these places."
    If you'd like to help Open Doors with Bible distribution, click here. "

  • Korean pastor says hostage in Afghanistan was killed for refusing to convert to Islam By Michael Ireland Chief Correspondent, ASSIST News Service Wednesday, September 5, 2007

  • "SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA (ANS) -- The youth pastor who was leading the group of 23 South Korean aid volunteers in Afghanistan was killed for refusing to convert to Islam, the head pastor of the church revealed after the final 19 former hostages arrived home.
    According to a report on the Christian Today website, "Among the 19 hostages who returned on the second (of September), some were asked by the Taliban to convert and when they rejected, they were assaulted and severely beaten,” reported Park Eun-jo, pastor of the hostages’ home church, Saemmul Presbyterian Church in Bundang, just south of the South Korean capital Seoul.
    "I heard from the hostages that they were threatened with death,” he added, according to Christian Today Korea. “Especially it is known that the reason Pastor Bae Hyung-kyu was murdered was because he refused the Taliban’s demand to convert.” "

    NYT : Korean Hostages Will Face Anger Back Home

    " SEOUL, Sept. 1 — When 19 South Koreans return home on Sunday after six weeks in Taliban captivity, they will face a nation relieved that the hostage ordeal is finally over, but also increasingly angry at their decision to travel to Afghanistan despite government warnings and at what many here consider overzealous proselytizing by Korean churches. ..


    Prayer

    PRAYER REQUEST:

    N. Korea train collision triggers huge blast State of emergency reported; thousands said dead, injured
    (BREAKING NEWS MSNBC News Services Updated: 11:41 a.m. ET April 22, 2004

    Sports

    2007 FCA Korea Sports Camp

    "A video slideshow of the 2007 FCA Korea Sports Camp"

    Travel

  • Travel Korea, by jforge (image corporation)

  • Passport To Korea Kangwang Do.VOB

    "Per and Mark in a Travel Program in Korea."
    -Attractions:
  • Cheju Island Information Network

  • "Cheju island known as a place of fantasy or mystery is most beautiful island in Korea and is located in the southwest sea of the Korean peninsula and is highlighted for its uniqueness. The theme of this Web site is "Travel & Tourism Guides of The Cheju Island in Korea". You can look over the famous roots of Cheju island that make it so mysterious and fantastic that everyone wants to come here. This Web site's general contents about Cheju island covers from historical background and Culture to Nature, Customs, Travel, Leisure, Transportation, Accommodations, Epicurism, Shopping, Cheju`s images and everything necessary to understand Cheju island."
    JEJU ISLAND KOREA , from youtube.com
    Jeju Island plus Udo in Glorious South Korea

    "The opening 3 1/2 minutes feature an amazing vocal performance from a traditional Korean folk singer. Her voice is simultaneously soft and delicate like the scenery, while remaining strong and hard like the seashore rocks. It is very, very old---but ahead of it's time. The other music is performed by a modern pop group known as Jadu. More vids at http://ah-sah.blogspot.com "

    Youth

    FATHERS LOVE MINISTRY SEOUL S. KOREA

    "south korean young people on fire for God young people from south korea "fathers love ministry" .Here is their web-site http://www.fl.or.kr/ ..on Google also downloadable.. "ARE YOU READY FLM""
    -Music:
    Worship&Praise=>
    YWAM Korea, Campus Worship - I'll Always Love You

    " Campus Worship Team is Youth With A Mission Korea Worship Team... this video is Mission Conference 2006 Live Worship"


    Korean Overall

  • Adopted Korean Connection
  • Ethnic Harvest, global resource database
  • NORTH KOREA

    Government

  • North Koreans punished for not crying for Kim Jong Il? Jan 12, 2012 - 2:15 - Report: Citizens sent to reeducation campvideo.foxnews.com


  • North Korea

    'North Korea Freedom Week Video"

    Life

  • Watch: How One Man Caught Secret Video Inside North Korea, and Lived By: Erica Ho newsfeed.time.com

  • Pyongyang Style from Steve Gong on Vimeo.


    "It wasn't photographer Steve Gong's first trip to North Korea. But on this trip, putting his life at risk, he practiced for months to capture secret video footage in the notoriously clandestine country. And he pulled it off.
    To even enter the country, visitors must be given special permission and go through a monitored, government-arranged tour group. A few years ago, a South Korean tourist was reportedly shot for wandering off to watch the sunrise without her group.
    Using a Canon 5D, Gong taped out the backside of the camera, and for weeks, practiced shooting video with the camera around his neck. What's captured is a precious glimpse into North Korean daily life, something very little known about in the outside world.
    And when he was leaving the country, perhaps, with serendipity on his side, “…the [funny] thing is, the military officer who was supposed to go through every single picture on my camera [never] show[ed] up," he wrote on his blog. "

    stevegongphoto.com/

    Music

    -Soft-Rock

  • Casting Crowns Performs in North Korea Thursday, April 19, 2007 Source: CMSpin

  • "Only U.S. Band Invited to Play 25th Annual Friendship Art Festival
    Atlanta-based, GRAMMY Award-winning band Casting Crowns received a rare invitation to participate in North Korea�s 25th Annual April Spring Friendship Art Festival in Pyongyang, D.P.R.K last week. Casting Crowns played three standing-room-only shows April 11-13 at the high-profile event which emphasizes artistic exchange and the promotion of peace and goodwill within the country.
    Performers from around the world were invited to the festival with Casting Crowns being the only native U.S. band to attend. Global Resource Services (G.R.S.), a U.S. based humanitarian organization, has worked in North Korea for the past ten years, and cooperated with the organizing committee of the Friendship Art Festival to facilitate the band�s participation.
    The band incorporated a few Korean favorites in its live show including the popular song �White Dove, Fly High� which is recognized as an anthem for peace. The band�s rendition of the song was warmly received by the full-capacity crowd. The Vice Chairman of the festival personally shared his gratitude to Casting Crowns for their participation and especially for the beautiful performance of the peace song. He further expressed his hope that groups like G.R.S., Casting Crowns and the people of the D.P.R.K. can work together to bring unity and peace.
    For more on Casting Crowns, visit www.castingcrowns.com, and for more information about Global Resource Services, please visit www.grsworld.org....."

    CrimsonLight.com
    yourmusiczone.com

    Persecution

    Christians Persecuted In North Korea

    "Persecution of the Church"
    North Korea Public Execution (w_English narration).avi

    North Korea - Where Christians are Brutally Persecuted

    "Asia Harvest is a Christian organization serving in Asia. Check us out at www.asiaharvest.org Take a tour of the hermit nation of North Korea, where Christians are brutally persecuted. Produced by Christian Solidarity Worldwide."

  • North Korea: Seven underground churches raided By Mark Ellis Senior Correspondent, ASSIST News Service Thursday, January 12, 2012 assistnews.net

  • "LOS ANGELES (ANS) -- Since the unexpected death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il December 17th, and the succession to power of his third son, Kim Jong-un, the underground Christian church has faced increased persecution.
    “Three weeks ago seven underground churches got exposed,” says Thomas Kim, executive director of Cornerstone Ministries, which is actively involved in serving the church in North Korea. “It’s been very difficult for the last month and I think it’s going to continue,” he says.
    The North Korean leadership apparently fears the kind of insurrection that swept other communist regimes and is now sweeping the Middle East. “They are scared there will be an uprising,” Kim notes. “They are scared by the expansion of the Christian faith because Christians will die for their faith."
    The old guard surrounding Kin Jong-un are anxious for a smooth transition, and this is impacting the church. “The regime has been putting pressure on to stabilize society,” Kim says. In the months preceding Kim Jong-il’s death, there were few attempts to search for underground believers, but that has changed.
    “Now the regime is putting out many people to search for the underground church,” Kim notes. “There is a need to pray for protection."
    MORE...

    Social Justice

    Human Flesh Being Sold In The Market (North Korea song of sorrow)

    "There's a silent people dying away in the hidden camps of the DPRK. And many more suffering in many other ways. (see http://davidkohannah.wordpress.com for more info and videos)"

    Testimony

    Cape Town 2010 Truth — North Korean student testimony

    *from Minnesota Christian Chronicle's March 2011

    Psalm 25:5 guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long


    Jun Soo with his family all the way from South Korea after UMM's 2003 Graduation

    See our photo gallery !

    Thank you for visiting GoodnewsEverybody! Please feel free to e-mail me (Sal) at info@goodnewseverybody.com on any comments, suggestions (e.g. any new websites),complaints, or anytype of feedback to improve this website leave a comment on my blog.

    .

    Subscribe to goodnewseverybodycom

    Powered by us.groups.yahoo.com


    seekfind.org

    *"...Seek and You'll Find..."- Matthew 7:7

    Return to GoodnewsEverybody: Asian Homepage


    This page is dedicated to Anthony Wiehle, a former active leader while he attended UMM 93'-97', who was born in Korea and adopted in Bloomington, Minnesota-U.S.A. He currently speaks nationwide and is co-founder of Senior Capital Group, "....bring dignity and integrity back to the senior population". Anthony (a.k.a Tony"), was a great encouragement in my early years of coming to the Lord in 1996 (freshmen year). He was my floormate in UMM's Clayton A. Gay Hall my second year of college, and I still "try" to keep in touch with him since he graduated in 1997. Thanks Anthony for your time serving the Lord here in "Motown" during and still after being a student.

    Please feel free to submit any additional comments on Anthony Wiehle down below: