Texas Baptist delivers food to school and hospital in North Korea

A Korean Texas Baptist minister returned recently from North Korea, where he verified delivery of 3.5 tons of corn to a school for orphans and one ton of noodles to a hospital.

Yoo Yoon, director of the Korean-American Sharing Movement of Dallas, has journeyed to North Korea more than two dozen times in the last two decades, typically to supervise the delivery of food and other supplies provided by Texas Baptist Men and other donors.

Corn and soccer balls to school for orphans

On the most recent trip, Yoon ensured the delivery of corn to Jungdung Hakwon, a Kangwon Province school for 210 orphans ages 13 to 18, in Moonchon City. He also delivered soccer balls the school had requested.

“We had a conference with the staff, and they asked us to install a solar water heater for the students” before the winter, Yoon said.

Noodles and gasoline to hospital

Yoon visited a provincial hospital in Wonsan City that serves about 250,000 people. In addition to supervising delivery of a ton of corn noodles, he also verified the arrival of one ton of gasoline for the hospital’s generator.

Yoo Yoon enjoys spending time with students at a school for orphans in North Korea’s Kangwon Province.While in Wonsan City, Yoon also visited Aeyukwon, a school for orphans ages 3 to 6 years old. School officials invited him to participate in activities as part of the International Children’s Day observance June 1.

“We played with the children, and I personally ran the race twice with the chosen boy and girl,” he said.

Contact with Korean Christians

In an officially atheistic country where Christians are less than 2 percent of the population, Yoon visited two churches. At each church, the pastor invited him to sing a hymn, and he offered the benediction at one worship service.

“We strongly felt the presence of the Holy Spirit,” he said. “We prayed that our activities might touch souls by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Presence of governmental officials

Yoon also met with officials from the North Korea Education Foundation, the Compatriot Department and the Korean-American Relations Committee.

Throughout his time in North Korea, four “guides” accompanied Yoon and his traveling companions, keeping them under constant surveillance.

A Korean American asked one of the guides—a 48-year-old man with an undergraduate degree and a master’s degree from the most respected university in Kangwon Province—what he knew about church.

“He replied he had never heard of the word ‘church,’” Yoon said. “He asked us, ‘What is church?’”

During the group’s time in North Korea, they helped explain not only the meaning of church, but also were able to talk about Jesus Christ as the head of the church.

“The love and grace of our Lord have moved and melted the hearts of our agents, so the atmosphere became free and friendly,” Yoon said. “His love and grace is like the sun that melts away the ice—not quickly, but slowly and powerfully during 12 days of missions.”