Australian Christian Missionary who is detained in North Korea was fully aware of the risk says Wife

[fruxodaily]

[IMG]https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/t1/1969154_655442401170267_37943781_n.jpg[/IMG]

[QUOTE]An Australian man being detained by North Korean authorities knew the journey was risky, his wife says.

Christian missionary John Short, 75, originally from South Australia, arrived in Pyongyang on Saturday and was taken from his hotel by local police a day later.

"He went (to North Korea) because it is such a dark and difficult place," wife Karen Short told AAP from the couple's home in Hong Kong.

"Being a Christian missionary he wanted to see empathy for the people there."

Mr Short's travelling companion was also questioned by police, but was later released.

"They put him on the plane yesterday morning and thought my husband would follow but he didn't."

Mr Short's interrogation is understood to have focused on religious documents.

It is against North Korean law to spread religious material, and interaction between locals and foreigners is also poorly viewed.

"He carried little booklets he's written himself, that he's had people translate into the Korean language," Mrs Short said.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has told Mrs Short her husband's consular case is "different and difficult".[/QUOTE]

[url]http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/2014/02/19/17/50/australian-detained-in-north-korea[/url]

[Orkel]

I don't think this guy is gonna get released very soon like the previous. He went in there with the sole purpose of breaking their laws regarding religion, fully knowing what the results would be, the laws are shitty and brutal but this is entirely his fault.

A christian missionary going to north korea is the worst combination I can imagine.

[AshMan]

I want to know this man's logic, if any.

[Fulcrum]

[QUOTE=AshMan55;43969397]I want to know this man's logic, if any.[/QUOTE]

Suicide by North Korea?

[fruxodaily]

[QUOTE=AshMan55;43969397]I want to know this man's logic, if any.[/QUOTE]

Possibly thought he was doing some good and giving some faith to the NK people, knowing full well the consequences

But the examples Ninemsn used are okay but the guy who got 15 years for missonary work was a South Korean so it's dead beat obvious he'd get a harsher sentence, whereas this guys Australian and we don't have a problem with NK and vice versa

[Secrios]

They an emotional way and there is an effective way...

[Laputa]

Why would a christian missionary bother with arguably the most religious country in the world

[Elfy]

dont worry guys, god will save him

[darcy010]

I really hope the Australian government don't make idiots of themselves about this.
The guy must be mental to think he could get away with something like that.

[Thomas45]

[QUOTE=AshMan55;43969397]I want to know this man's logic, if any.[/QUOTE]

Spreading the Gospel to those that do not have it, it's what the Apostles(at great risk to themselves) did so I don't see why people find stories like this so odd.

[AshMan]

[QUOTE=Thom12255;43970858]Spreading the Gospel to those that do not have it, it's what the Apostles(at great risk to themselves) did so I don't see why people find stories like this so odd.[/QUOTE]

I suppose, just doing something with a massive risk like that (and knowing it) seems incredibly dumb.

[gunnars1]

[QUOTE=Laputa;43969461]Why would a christian missionary bother with arguably the most religious country in the world[/QUOTE]
Isn't North Korea rather non-religous?

I don't know much about NK, communism or soviet-esque states in general but isn't denial of religion one of the ideologies behind communism or most communist states?

[Oizen]

I don't see the point.

If he wants to spread "gods words", going to NK to be detained isn't the right way to go about it.

Now that he is detained, he isn't spreading anything. Seems pretty stupid.

[Antlerp]

let us see what kim jong does when the first prior arrives

hallowed are the ori

[Gustafa]

[QUOTE=RenegadeCop;43971161]No, they're super religious.
'
They worship the "great "leadurr" remember?[/QUOTE]

At least their God is real I guess.

[Zakk]

[QUOTE=Gustafa;43971590]At least their God is real I guess.[/QUOTE]

Apply aloe to burn

[Aathma]

[QUOTE=AshMan55;43970880]I suppose, just doing something with a massive risk like that (and knowing it) seems incredibly dumb.[/QUOTE]

Missionaries value the spreading of the gospel over their own lives. It's not dumb to them since suffering for Christ is the only thing worth suffering for. Also, death means Heaven so from a Christian's point of view, it's worth it. And I have to agree

[BFG9000]

Admirable effort, but the situation in NK is too hot for any individual to be effective.

[Zakk]

[QUOTE=RenegadeCop;43971894]That's a dangerous mindset[/QUOTE]

I'm all for religious tolerance, I was raised briefly by my Jehovahs Witness grandparents when I was a child, but as a caring, loving person, that kind of mentality is incredibly unsafe.

seriously, if you're putting your lives in danger over it.. just.. just stop.
or proselytize somewhere less retarded.

[bIgFaTwOrM12]

[QUOTE=RenegadeCop;43971894]That's a dangerous mindset[/QUOTE]

Only to the missionaries themselves though.

[Grazony]

[QUOTE=ZakkShock;43972071]seriously, if you're putting your lives in danger over it.. just.. just stop.
or proselytize somewhere less retarded.[/QUOTE]

Putting yourself in danger is sometimes necessary if you want to do something you believe in. We as humans put ourselves in danger every single day to do things that we consider mundane. Flying, driving, swimming, heck even eating has a bit of danger to it if think about it. Pushing the boundaries is what we do everyday, its just that some people push a little too much.

I respect this fellows drive and such, but perhaps he could have been a little more cautious I admit. Hope he'll be alright.

[qoou]

He must of been like..."Okay let's do this!" : Wololoooooooo....

[Laputa]

[QUOTE=gunnars1;43971111]Isn't North Korea rather non-religous?

I don't know much about NK, communism or soviet-esque states in general but isn't denial of religion one of the ideologies behind communism or most communist states?[/QUOTE]

Considering everything that goes on has to be done in devotion to the Kim's and Juche, with their statues and portraits on every building (and in every classroom), massive surveillance for any word against them, the conditioning of people through the media and school to their notion that everyone outside is out to get them and that US imperialists are the cause of their troubles, I'd say it was pretty religious, probably on a scale never before seen.

This guy tbh was pretty stupid, he should've known that in DPRK, Kim [I]is[/I] God

[QUOTE=Gustafa;43971590]At least their God is real I guess.[/QUOTE]

And he doesn't have any plans for you after you die so in a way he's better

Haha looks like I've riled up some god-botherers!

[Minilandstan]

[QUOTE=AshMan55;43970880]I suppose, just doing something with a massive risk like that (and knowing it) seems incredibly dumb.[/QUOTE]

Because maybe they believe in what they're doing, and actually care enough to risk their lives to bring about a shimmer of hope to a country full of brutality?

[binkow]

[QUOTE=Gustafa;43971590]At least their God is real I guess.[/QUOTE]

[I]*tips fedora in agreement*[/I]

[mutant]

[QUOTE=binkow;43977192][I]*tips fedora in agreement*[/I][/QUOTE]
That was hardly a [i]fedora[/i] comment. Ease up on the memes FP.

Anyway I think this missionary's an idiot but I hope he gets out of NK safely.
Seems pretty unlikely but I don't imagine him being treated as harshly as the SK guy.

[Paul McCartney]

Some would call this "Cultural Imperialism" on the Australians part.

[binkow]

[QUOTE=MuTAnT;43977285]That was hardly a [i]fedora[/i] comment. Ease up on the memes FP.

Anyway I think this missionary's an idiot but I hope he gets out of NK safely.
Seems pretty unlikely but I don't imagine him being treated as harshly as the SK guy.[/QUOTE]

I dunno, seems like something an atheist neckbeard would say just to stick it to religion.

[ExplosiveCheese]

I hope his treatment isn't too harsh, judging from the photo in the op, he looks a bit too old to be putting himself through this kind of thing. But hey, if he gave some North Koreans hope in that cesspool of a country, then I guess you could say he succeeded.

[fruxodaily]

He probably didn't get very far in spreading the word of the Gospel because the NK police would of got to him too early

[editline]20th February 2014[/editline]

Besides you can't wander around NK when you go there as a visitor you can only go where they say you can go and you must have a travel guard and officer with you