Once NKs Get to South Korea, Life is Good, Right? Wrong. But Maybe God Will Use You to Change That.Check out this startling portrait of NK life in South Korea that Mrs. Foley put together for a presentation to our Underground Technology and Underground University students last week:
- Psychological problems among NK defectors in South Korea are soaring. The number seeking treatment in Seoul's mental health clinics rose from 110 to 2007 to 12,979 in 2009.
- Suicide occurs at a staggering rate among NK defectors-and it's rising. 10% of defectors committed suicide in 2008, and 16.3% committed suicide in 2009. That's nearly triple the rate of suicides among South Koreans, who already rank at the top of the list of suicides worldwide.
- 18.2% of NK defectors in South Korea fail to stay in their jobs for more than a month, while a further 28.8% fall short of six months.
And that's just the tip of a very sad iceberg.
Email me and I can send you the rest of Mrs. Foley's PowerPoint presentation, translated into English. Prepare to be stunned.
And ask yourself: Could God be calling you to serve NK defectors?
Everyone who comes to work at Seoul USA begins as an intern, and positions in our Korean office do require bilingual English/Korean speakers. You also have to be able to support all of your living expenses for one year in one of the most expensive cities on earth: Seoul.
Basically, it would pretty much have to be a calling for the bilingual and resourced among us. But as callings go, I don't know many more urgent than this one.
We do occasionally offer week-long visits to Seoul for groups to work and learn alongside NK defectors. Sorry-we're not able to offer these trips for one or two people; we generally need a group of about five. And it's not cheap: Due to the high cost of airfare and life in general in Seoul, total trip costs average around $2,700-$3,000 per person. So that would have to be a calling, too, but at least you don't need to be bilingual. If you'd like to bring a group or get your individual name on a list to be a part of a group we put together, email intern superstar
Brett Leather and let him know. He just returned from a week-long trip and called it "The greatest week in my life."
There's a million reasons not to go. But I can think of
20,000 very good reasons to do all you can.
