Office to help North Korean refugees to open Saturday

Office to help North Korean refugees to open Saturday from durihana on Vimeo.

Danielle Todesco
Fri, 20 May 2016 22:37:38 MDT

Some call him the "Schindler of Asia." Pastor Chun Ki-won's ministry Durihana has rescued more than 1,100 refugees from North Korea. Now, there is a long-term goal to one day have some of those people live in New Mexico.

In fact, they're setting up their U.S. headquarters in Santa Fe.

Pastor Chun has been called the "Schindler of Asia" because people who have seen conditions in North Korea compare it to the Nazi concentration camps. The difference is that the North Korean people have endured the pain and suffering for decades. Some are getting out, but there are so many more to rescue. The Santa Fe office set to open Saturday will help.

Americans may think they know what happens in North Korea under the dictatorship of Kim Jong Un who is known to lead with an iron fist and little to no regard for his people. But those people who have lived it say it's so much worse.

"It took me like one hour to walk to school, so on the way there I got hungry and I just picked up the grass on the ground and sometimes it got me sick," a refugee now named Selina said. "Sometimes I stole food from someone else's farm, like potatoes. I would pick up acorns and try to make it into food and it doesn't ever really taste good. One time, I stole a dog from next door...and then...we just had to do it for survival."

She goes by Selina now after escaping North Korea. The only reason she could speak with KOB 4 on camera is because none of her family still lives in North Korea. Otherwise, they would be executed for her actions. Her story is rare because it's not as tragic as so many others.

A woman KOB spoke with off-camera who still has family in North Korea escaped and was sold as a sex slave to a Chinese man. Many like her have to be rescued twice: once from North Korea then again, out of the sex trade in China.

"For every one that's rescued, there's thousands that aren't," Pastor Ryan Ellsworth said.

"When we know what's going on, we have got to act."

Pastor Ellsworth in Santa Fe linked up with Pastor Chun, who says they both have the same beliefs and passion to save the North Koreans. That is why his ministry Durihana is setting up its U.S. office in Santa Fe. One day, they hope to house refugees there, educate them and show them a life of freedom.

"They're slaves. They're slaves and there's 24 million of them," Pastor Ellsworth said.

"I firmly believe that the U.S. could do a lot more, we could actually get together and speak about these international issues," Pastor Chun said.

Both of the women KOB interviewed said even knowing the wonderful life they have now, they wouldn't escape again because of what it took to get here.

The Durihana branch opens Saturday in Santa Fe. Everyone is invited to attend. It's at the Light at Mission Viejo located at 4601 Mission Bend from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.