Korean Church leaders slam activist’s northern incursion

South Korean Church leaders have condemned US Christian activist Robert Park’s incursion into North Korea, saying it will not help religious freedom in the country and may do more harm than good.

Park, a Protestant Korean-American, crossed the border on Christmas Eve with a Bible in his hand, shouting: “I brought God’s love! God loves you!” according to local media. He was immediately arrested.

“The Gospel shouldn’t be presented aggressively. … It doesn’t help to increase religious freedom,” Reverend Kim Tae-hyon, director of the Church and Ecumenical Relationship Department of the National Council of Churches in Korea (NCCK), told UCA News.

The North Korean government may see Park’s actions as politically motivated and provocative, he added.

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