In a telephone interview with Kukmin Daily, Ms. Oh Myeong-sook, Rev. Jeong’s wife, said, “My husband is having a tough time, he’s so disappointed… Now he’s on a prayer fast in a prayer mountain, appealing to God for the reopening of KIC so that he can continue communicating the Gospel. He used to say this ministry was the last mission of his lifetime. I ask the Korean church to pray for him and the church.”
A source related to Corporation A, the builder of Kaesong Church, said, “Due to the sudden closure, we were unable to bring out any of the holy items. We even left behind the Bibles and hymnals used by the South Korean workers in KIC.”
Kaesong Church started out as a prayer room established by Corporation A on the third floor of one of the factory buildings in July 2005. Later, Corporation A built a church building with a capacity for 1,000 persons (photos). The North Korean authority did not approve the construction, and threatened to halt Corporation A’s business operations in the complex. But Corporation A stood strong, saying, “If we cannot have worship services here, nothing else matters, so we will leave.” The North Korean authority did not pursue the issue, and the construction went ahead. So Corporation A built the first church in North Korea since the Korean War. (Because North Korea restricts the practice of religion, the church is not “public.”)
Rev. Kim Myeong-hyeok (elder pastor, Seoul Kangbyun Presbyterian Church), the president of Korea Evangelical Fellowship, said, “At this time, Korean church circles must play a role in promoting reconciliation and peace between the South and the North… Let us pray that KIC and the various kinds of humanitarian support for North Korea may continue.”
Reporter Yeong Dae Yoo (ydyoo@kmib.co.kr), with Yeara Ahn-Park (yap@kmib.co.kr)
Photos courtesy of Kukmin Daily DB & Korea Evangelical Holiness Church Newspaper
Click here for the original article in Korean
