{"id":52781,"date":"2025-02-04T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-02-04T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/?p=52781"},"modified":"2025-02-04T13:42:16","modified_gmt":"2025-02-04T04:42:16","slug":"vomk-report-334","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/2025\/02\/04\/vomk-report-334\/","title":{"rendered":"VOICE OF THE MARTYRS KOREA HOSTS \u201cMINISTRY TRAINING PARTIES\u201d FOR NORTH KOREAN DEFECTORS OVER CHINESE NEW YEAR"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_section][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”52774″ img_size=”full” css=””][vc_custom_heading text=”127 North Korean defectors came to three \u201cministry training parties\u201d hosted by Voice of the Martyrs Korea in Seoul, Daejeon, and Busan around the Chinese New Year holiday. As Voice of the Martyrs Korea Representative Dr. Hyun Sook Foley explains, the events gave North Korean defectors the opportunity to do ministry rather than to be recipients of ministry done by others. ” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:1.2em|text_align:left|color:%23111111″ google_fonts=”font_family:Noto%20Sans%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal” css=”” el_class=”headline”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]<\/p>\n

\u201cKorean churches and organizations often hold events for North Korean defectors, but typically at those events North Koreans are the \u2018guests of honor\u2019 who receive gifts, special food, and sometimes luxury trips,\u201d said Representative Foley. \u201c<\/span>But a<\/span>t our Chinese New Year ministry parties, we emphasized <\/span>to North Korean defectors that today is the day for gospel ministry to North Korea, and that North Korean defectors have both a responsibility and an opportunity to be leaders in gospel ministry to North Korea because there are things <\/span>only North Korean defectors know or can do<\/span>.<\/span> So<\/span> the ministry training parties are an opportunity for North Korean defectors to serve, rather than to be served.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]The day-long events, which were held at the ministry\u2019s regional offices in Seoul, Daejeon, and Busan, included a Bible translation<\/span> workshop<\/span>, where North Korean defector <\/span>attendees <\/span>participated<\/span> in the ministry\u2019s multi-year project to create a new \u201creader\u2019s edition<\/span>\u201d<\/span> of the John Ross Bible. \u201cMissionary Ross and his team of Chosun translators first published the Ross Bible in the 1880s from China, with between 15,000 and 50,000 smuggled into Chosun before the first Western missionaries even arrived,\u201d said Representative Foley. \u201c<\/span>The Ross Bible was done before the standardization of the Korean language, so the text <\/span>represents<\/span> every word phonetically. You <\/span>have to<\/span> sound out the word, figure out what it is, write it out, figure out how it is written today, figure out what the whole sentence is, figure out what words are obsolete, <\/span>and <\/span>research thos<\/span>e<\/span>.<\/span>\u201d She <\/span>says that s<\/span>ince the Ross translation was originally done by Koreans from the north and west parts of the country, ordinary North Koreans of today can better understand some of the dialect and vocabulary than professional South Korean translators<\/span>. \u201c<\/span>North Korean defectors <\/span>say, \u2018Those are words my grandparents used to say.\u2019<\/span>\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]Participants at the event also learned about Voice of the Martyrs Korea\u2019s camping ministry, which divides the country into six regions to which North Korean defectors regularly travel in the ministry\u2019s camping vehicles to <\/span>visit<\/span> North Korean defectors who live beyond the reach of ministries focused on North Korean defectors in Seoul. \u201c30 percent of North Korean defectors live outside of Seoul, and often they have no contact with other North Koreans,\u201d says Representative Foley. \u201cThrough the camping ministry, these North Korean defectors are able to meet with other North Koreans, prepare North Korean food together, and work on gospel ministry projects like the Ross Bible translation.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]Attendees at the party <\/span>participated<\/span> in dramatic skits and songs drawn from the ministry\u2019s John Ross Bible Musical Drama. \u201cWe frequently use drama and dance to teach Bible stories and the early history of Christianity in Chosun to North Korean defectors,\u201d says Representative Foley. \u201cNorth Korean defectors <\/span>love to participate in drama and dance, and they eagerly participated in these skits at our Chinese New Year parties, with small prizes being given to those voted as the best performers.\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]\u201cThe event was so <\/span>so<\/span> good<\/span> and I was impressed. It was shown for us through the drama when, from where, through where, and in what form the Bible came to our land and I had the honor of <\/span>actually going<\/span> up and doing the movements. I do not think I will forget this until I die and even when I go to heaven\u2026\u201d- KJH<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/em>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]\u201cIt was a very enjoyable day that gave me a variety of experiences. Although I <\/span>don’t<\/span> deny God, I was <\/span>very nervous<\/span> about God, but after hearing the experiences of four missionaries, I realized that I should believe in God more urgently. It was a time to realize once again that God is <\/span>alive<\/span> and it was a valuable time to know our history.\u201d – JEY<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/em>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]Attendees at the events were encouraged to apply for admission to Voice of the Martyrs Korea<\/span>\u2019<\/span>s Underground University, a missionary training school equipping North Koreans to evangelize and disciple other North Koreans, wherever they are found. <\/span>More information about Voice of the Martyrs Korea\u2019s <\/span>Underground University <\/span>for North Korean defectors is available at <\/span><\/span>https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/project\/northkorea\/uu-school\/<\/span><\/span><\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]Individuals interested in serving as volunteers in Voice of the Martyrs Korea<\/span>\u2019<\/span>s North Korean or other ministry programs can call <\/span><\/span>010-8844-2065.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”52775″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center” css=””][vc_custom_heading text=”50 NK defectors attend the ministry training party hosted at the VOMK regional office in Seoul ” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:13px|text_align:center|color:%230a0101|line_height:1.45em” css=””][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”52777″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center” css=””][vc_custom_heading text=”50 NK defectors attend the ministry training party hosted at the VOMK regional office in Daejeon” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:13px|text_align:center|color:%230a0101|line_height:1.45em” css=””][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”52780″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center” css=””][vc_custom_heading text=”27 NK defectors attend the ministry training party hosted at the VOMK regional office in Busan ” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:13px|text_align:center|color:%230a0101|line_height:1.45em” css=””][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][\/vc_section]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"[vc_section][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”52774″ img_size=”full” css=””][vc_custom_heading text=”127 North Korean defectors came to three \u201cministry training parties\u201d hosted by Voice of the Martyrs Korea in Seoul, Daejeon, and Busan around the Chinese New …","protected":false},"author":659,"featured_media":52773,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[79,140],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-52781","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nk","category-vomk-report"],"translation":{"provider":"WPGlobus","version":"3.0.2","language":"en","enabled_languages":["ko","en","zh","ru"],"languages":{"ko":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false},"en":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false},"zh":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false},"ru":{"title":false,"content":false,"excerpt":false}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52781","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/659"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52781"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52781\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":52784,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52781\/revisions\/52784"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/52773"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52781"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52781"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52781"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}