A United Methodist delegation to North Korea was able to share worship and express solidarity with the small Christian community there. However, the five-member Board of Global Ministries team was not permitted to visit relief operations and food distribution centers established to deal with the famine in that country. Bishop Dan Solomon of Baton Rouge, La., board president, said the delegation expressed "keen disappointment" to North Korean government officials about the refusal.
Instead, the delegation was confined to meetings with government leaders, visits to historical sites in Pyongyang and tours of a women's hospital and children's center. The group visited North Korea Jan. 10-13.
The Rev. Randolph Nugent, the board's general secretary, noted that Solomon was allowed to preach freely during Sunday worship with the Bonzsu congregation in Pyongyang, probably the first United Methodist bishop to preach in that country since the Korean war. The delegation also met with leaders of the Korea Christian Federation. Nugent added that he drew satisfaction from being in solidarity with North Korean Christians and applauded their commitment in the midst of a difficult situation. "These are people who are faithful and prepared to increase the influence and importance of the church in the lives of people," he said.
The delegation met with Eric Weingartner, a member of the United Nations' World Food Program staff in North Korea. "He has every reason to believe the distribution is going well," Nugent said. Weingartner is a liaison with nongovernmental organizations shipping relief supplies. He was assigned there through Church World Service, the relief agency of the U.S. National Council of Churches, and Action By Churches Together, a coalition formed through the World Council of Churches.
Both the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) and Church World Service have been among the worldwide donors participating in the relief effort for North Korea. Declining crop production, compounded by severe flooding, resulted in a massive food shortage there.
In early January, United Nations officials reported that North Korea currently needs more than a million tons of food assistance for its population of 23 million.
Other delegation members were Jane Bucher of Park City, Ky., finance chairperson for the Women's Division; Jerry Williams of Chesterfield, Mo., South Central Jurisdiction United Methodist Women's president; and the Rev. S. Michael Hahm, a board executive.
Jan. 16, 1998
Please give to UMCOR Advance #226435, North Korea Emergency. Give through your local United Methodist church or send financial contributions to: UMCOR, 475 Riverside Dr., Room 330, New York, NY 10115. Call 1-800-554-8583 to make a credit card donation. One hundred percent of your gift goes to relief efforts in North Korea. United Methodists' generous giving to the One Great Hour of Sharing, part of their ongoing contribution to mission around the world, supplements the cost of Advance gifts.
Produced by United Methodist News Service, official news agency of the United Methodist Church.
United Methodist Committee on Relief
Room 330, 475 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10115
Voice Phone: 212-870-3816; FAX: 212-749-2641
Email: umcor@gbgm-umc.org
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