82 YEAR OLD MAN WAITING FOR UNIFICATION; TAKES HIS OWN LIFE

Just a few days before our arrival in Seoul, this headline hit the Korean newspapers. This 82 year old man had been waiting since the end of the Korean War to be re-united with his family who are still in North Korea... He had no communication with them; no mail, no telephone, nothing-- for 50 years! Finally giving up hope, he went to the 'FREEDOM BRIDGE'; the South Korean symbol of their National 'Hope' for Re-Unification... ironically, also the site of our Concert.

After the man leaped off the 'Freedom Bridge' to his death, the Police found his body- He had pinned a note to his chest: 'Please bury my remains in North Korea, so I can be near my Family'.

OUR GRANDMA-REFUGEE-FRIEND AT THE BORDER

When we arrived at the Border for our Concert, one of our translators came running up to us with a sweet elderly lady on her arm. Our new-found Grandma/Friend had a warm smile and she joined us in our circle where we were just starting to pray. She explained that she was very excited to see us...

She is a Christian and she had somehow 'escaped' from her village in North Korea right after the border was closed in 1953. She was just 13 years old at that time and she has not seen or heard from her family since that day! She said that her village and her family are just a few miles across the border from the spot where we were standing- and yet the Communist government in North Korea has made it impossible for them to make contact. So every Sunday, she comes to this spot, the 'Freedom Bridge', to pray that someday she can be reunited with her family.

NORTH KOREANS ESCAPE FOR ONE LAST MEAL

On our bus ride up to the Border, one of our Translators began to share an unbelievable story... His parents are missionaries in a city just across the North Korean border in China. They often give shelter to Christian Refugees who have escaped from North Korea into China; risking their own lives in the process.

Many of these Refugees know that they will eventually be caught- and they know the punishment that awaits them: When the Secret Police catch a Refugee they take them to the public square and break both their legs with iron bars! Then they drill a hole through their collar bone, insert a chain, and drag the Refugee back to North Korea for execution!

Even though they know the fate that awaits them, many of these Refugees say they have escaped JUST TO HAVE ONE DECENT MEAL BEFORE THEY DIE!! Their idea of a 'Decent Meal' is a simple porridge; and yet they are risking brutal torture and death to escape from North Korea... where conditions are even worse. The chilling level of brutality and the inhumane living conditions are beyond our ability to comprehend.

NORTH KOREAN ARMY BULLDOZES CHILDREN

A few years ago, a group of workers were widening a road outside of Pyongyang, the capital city of North Korea. When they came to the village of GokSan, they began to demolish an old abandoned building that lay in their path. Suddenly they stumbled upon an underground room-- a tiny catacomb, a meeting place for a secret underground Christian congregation!

The Police were notified immediately and the Pastor, Kim Tae Yong, was arrested along with all the members of this secret Church. In front of the entire village of GokSan and its 30,000 inhabitants, the Police told the Christians, 'Deny Christ or lose your lives!'.

The members of the Church refused to deny Jesus, so the Police selected four children from the group-- The Police then told their parents, 'Deny Jesus or your children will be hanged!'. The parents did not move, but merely called out to their children, 'We will see you in Heaven soon'.

To the horror of the villagers, the children were hanged in front of their parents. The Police then turned to the adults and threatened them once again. This time they were told that each member of the Underground Church would be placed in front of a steamroller and crushed to death. Not one member of the Church was willing to deny their Faith if God, and as the entire village watched, the Christians went to their death singing... 'More love to Thee, oh Christ, more love to Thee! Hear Thou the prayer I make on bended knee; This is my earnest plea, more love, oh Christ to Thee, More love to Thee, more love to Thee!'

It is difficult for us to fathom this level of brutality... it sounds like something out of a History book from ancient times-- and yet it is happening today- right now- in Communist North Korea!

THE FREEDOM BRIDGE

The 'Freedom Bridge', the site of our Sunday Concert, is an interesting symbol in Korean culture. It was originally built in 1953 at the end of the Korean War to allow 12,773 prisoners of war to cross back to Freedom in South Korea. It stands right next to the crippled remains of the 'Kyoung-uison' Bridge which was blown up during the war.

The 'Freedom Bridge' is a poignant metaphor because the Communists have destroyed the end of the bridge on the North Korean side... what remains is the portion of the Bridge 'reaching out' from the South-- waiting to be 'received' by the North. It is a symbol of hope to everyone in South Korea who is praying for 'Re-Unification'.

Ironically, as I was told by a soldier at the Border, even as the 'Freedom Bridge' is 'reaching out' to North Korea... it is also wired with land mines! These are high explosives that could destroy the Bridge in an instant-- in case the North Korean Army forces tried to use the Bridge for an attack against the South. So while peace loving Christians in South Korea are praying for Unification and an end to the violence, the caution and tension of the military is never far away!

*Special thanks to Janet Chismar, Elisabeth Farrell, and Diana Scimone, author/journalists, (who accompanied us on this trip) for their contributions to this article. God Bless you!

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