Robert Park, who crossed into North Korea last Christmas carrying a message for Kim Jong-il, has not yet spoken publicly about his experience while in the North’s custody. His brother Paul says, when Robert is ready, “he’s going to share his story with the world.”
By Julie Ha and Ellis Song
Photograph by Elizabeth Kim
Robert Park, the American missionary who walked into North Korea last Christmas to call attention to human rights abuses there, returned to the United States last month after 43 days in the North’s custody.
The 28-year-old and his family reunited in China, and then quietly arrived at the Los Angeles International Airport the night of Feb. 6—far from the media spectacle that followed the North’s release of journalists Euna Lee and Laura Ling, who were accompanied by President Bill Clinton, no less.
In Robert Park’s case, the missionary, did not address the media that evening. Reporters were only able to catch a glimpse of him in his family’s car. He kept his head down most of the time.
His brother told reporters that his family was excited to have Robert home and had his favorite meal growing up—spaghetti—waiting for him. “I was completely speechless. It was great seeing him walk off that plane,” said Paul, referring to the aircraft that brought his brother from North Korea to China. “He’s been crying. He’s very excited. There’s nothing more touching than to see a mother and son embrace.”
Robert did not show any “signs of harm” and appeared in good condition, Paul said. “We’re looking forward to having some peace and quiet, and reconnecting with him.”
A longtime resident of Tucscon, Ariz., who had been living in South Korea the last few years, Robert was arrested by North Korean authorities on Christmas Day last year after illegally crossing the frozen Tumen River from China into the communist nation. He was reportedly carrying a letter for Kim Jong-il, calling for the dictator to release all political prisoners.
North Korean officials said they released Park because he expressed regret and admitted he was wrong about the country. The state-run Korean Central News Agency quoted Park as saying he was ashamed of the “biased” view he had previously held of the country and that he was now convinced “there’s complete religious freedom for all people everywhere” in North Korea.
Paul Park would not comment on the North’s statements, but North Korea experts have questioned whether these statements were just state-sponsored propaganda, or if the missionary was coerced into making them.
Pastor John Benson of the Life in Christ Community Church in Tucscon and a close friend of Robert’s, said those words did not sound at all like his friend.
He worried what Robert may have endured while in North Korean custody because the latter appeared uncharacteristically demure in video footage and photos the day of his homecoming.
“I can tell from the pictures he’s been traumatized in some way,” said Benson. “I just know the Robert from before. He’s the most joyful person you’d want to meet. He would not walk by a person with his head down.”
Prior to his journey to the North, Park told a Reuters reporter that he did not want United States officials to negotiate his release, as they had with journalists Lee and Ling. He said he wanted to stand with the North Korean people, even if it meant dying with them. He had been working with North Korean defectors while living in Seoul, said Benson, and hearing their stories of suffering and persecution compelled him to action. The reverend credited Park with raising his own congregation’s awareness of the plight of the North Korean people.
Given this level of commitment to the cause, Benson believes North Korean officials must have viewed Park as a threat while he remained in their country. “He’s a Jesus bomb,” said Benson. “They didn’t want that kind of bomb going off in North Korea. His love is so compelling.”
While Park’s actions last December set off online debates among Korean Americans who either praised his bravery or dismissed him as a religious zealot, Benson told a story that he thought might help people better understand the missionary’s motives: A few years ago, Park and Benson, along with a group of other volunteers from their Tucson church, went down to Nogales, Mexico, on a mission to feed the poor. “They were literally dirt poor: there was a dirt floor and shacks made of cardboard,” described Benson.
He said after all the people were fed, the volunteers had a chance to eat. Although there was enough food for everyone, Robert wouldn’t eat. Instead, said Benson, “Robert would give the last person his plate and tell him to take it home.
“He always went that extra mile,” the pastor added. “That way of living and thinking about others—that’s what led him to do this [in North Korea].”
When contacted about a week after Robert’s release, Paul said his brother was at a private location where he could rest and collect his thoughts. “Overall, he’s doing okay,” said Paul, who would not elaborate further on his brother’s experience in North Korea. “When he’s ready for it, he’s going to share his story with the world.”
Notably, North Korean officials have said yet another American remains in custody for allegedly entering the country illegally on Jan. 25. The person has not been identified.
