Source: VOMC
Giving to the less fortunate during the Christmas season is a common tradition practised by many here in our own country. Heart-warming turkey dinners with all the trimmings are served to the homeless, and caregiving hampers are compassionately distributed among households in need. This spirit of generous giving has been adopted by many Christian communities in South Korea. Yet, for North Korean defectors who have managed to escape their oppressive homeland, the offering of material items at Christmastime without any meaningful sense of relationship can create added challenges.
Though Christianity was historically part of the culture in northern Korea, when the Communist regime seized power under the leadership of Kim Il Sung – and then continued under his son and grandson – its practice was banned and so were any vestiges of the country's former Christian traditions. If today's North Koreans know anything about Christmas, it is through foreign movies.
Most South Korean Christians and churches do not know North Korean settlers personally. Some want to help but are not sure how to do so effectively. Dr. Eric Foley from Voice of the Martyrs Korea says that churches in South Korea only know how to interact with North Korean defectors from a position of material giving. He explains that the main need of North Koreans who are now residing in South Korea is not material aid but the formation of genuine relationships with South Korean people. The lack of those relationships, coupled with the North Korean defectors' inability to help their struggling relatives back in North Korea, have led to alarmingly high suicide rates among the settlers.
In a demonstration of cultural understanding, Dr. Foley and other believers have been visiting North Korean settlers unannounced. While this custom may seem rude to Westerners, among Koreans it is considered a compliment; a demonstration that the host is known to be welcoming and hospitable. In this way, Christmas has become a time for giving by allowing North Korean settlers the opportunity of experiencing the joy of sharing and interacting with others meaningfully. "That's Christmas to us [in Korea]," Dr. Foley adds. "It's not just about giving, but also receiving. Because that is what Jesus did.... He came to earth, and received the hospitality of those to whom He came" – those whose hearts willingly welcomed Him as their Saviour and Lord!
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