Mission life: THE KUKMIN DAILY

Serving Stateless Koreans in Japan…Missionary Couple Im Elijah and Im Sarah Visit Korea

2015-03-29 17:47

* In May last year, the church invited elderly persons living alone in the neighborhood to the home of Missionary Im Elijah (with guitar) in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. (Photo courtesy of Galilee Church)


The “ethnic minority of ethnic minorities” in Japanese society is the descendants of Koreans who have neither Japanese nor Korean nationality, either South or North. They--or their parents--went to Japan during the Japanese occupation era, but after the war Japan withdrew their Japanese nationality and, in 1947, registered them for administrative convenience as foreigners with Joseon (or Chosun: Korea before the division) nationality. Many of them chose either South Korea or North Korea as their nationality. Some, however, chose neither South nor North, out of respect for one united Korea. These persons have been left “stateless.” Passports cannot be issued for them, so their travel abroad is extremely limited. They, Chosenseki Zainichi Koreans, experience oppression and discriminatory “glass walls and ceilings” daily, such as when they apply for a bank loan or for a job.

520,000 Koreans currently live in Japan, according to the 2013 statistics of the Foreign Affairs Ministry. Those who have gained Korean nationality number about 480,000. The rest, 40,000 some Japanese Koreans (7.7%), have “Joseon nationality.”

Im Elijah (49) and Im Sarah (44), a missionary couple who are members of Global Partners (GP International), have been serving and ministering to stateless ethnic Koreans in Japan for the past 10 years. On March 25, Kukmin Daily met with the couple at the New Korea Mission office in Seocho-gu, Seoul. They were visiting Korea to report on their mission work. They are the only pastors in mission for “Koreans with Joseon nationality” in Japan.



* Church members including Joseon-nationality Japanese Koreans gathered on Thanksgiving Sunday in November last year. At far left in second row is missionary Im Sarah. (Photo courtesy of Galilee Church)


In 2005, they first learned of the existence of ethnic Koreans living in Japan with Joseon nationality, that is, not Chinese, Japanese, South Korean or North Korean. They were even more surprised to find through a survey how under-evangelized this group was. Im Elijah said, “The Christian evangelization rate in Japan overall is only about 0.2%, and almost none of the ‘Japanese Koreans without nationality’ are Christian. They were like a barren land for the Gospel.”

The majority of them were educated in Korean schools in Japan, 90% of which are run by North Korea and have a critical view of religion. Consequently, when the couple decided to minister to stateless Japanese Koreans, they got a cold response, because they could potentially be misinterpreted as North Korea-friendly. Amidst such worries, they began their mission. But they encountered unexpected fruit and were encouraged.

“About five years ago, ‘parent A’ at my child’s school brought me a Buddhist scripture and asked me to translate it. That became my cautious opportunity to communicate with her about the Gospel,” said Im Sarah. Now A is active in mission for stateless Japanese Koreans, including her husband, their daughter, and even her mother-in-law, who lives in a different region.

Missionary couple Im’s Galilee Church does not have a church building. All they have is the 20-㎡ (6 pyeong) home of the Im couple in Chiba Prefecture. The church has about 15 members from five families. The focus of their prayers is for a mission center for Joseon-nationality Japanese Koreans.

Missionary Im Elijah said, “We really need a multi-purpose space for worship services, nurture and education, counselling, and social gatherings.” He appealed, “We need the prayers and support of the Korean churches for Japanese Koreans with ‘Joseon’ nationality, for the first time in 70 years since national independence.”

Reporter Jaechan Park (jeep@kmib.co.kr), with Yeara Ahn-Park (yap@kmib.co.kr)


Click here for the original article in Korean

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