The migration mission: How Christians shape the defection process



Evergreen The migration mission: How Christians shape the defection process Scholar describes how faith-based Korean groups have made defection a ‘religious exodus’ and nationalist goal Gianluca Spezza June 6, 2014 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON Chairman Ros-Lehtinen, with Rep. McCotter reflects on repatriation of North Korean refugees by Chinese government - House Committee on F - CC BY-NC 2.0 Like it or not, Christians play an especially large role in the lives of North Korean defectors. North Korea holds a special place in the hearts of both South Korean and Korean-American Christian missionaries who look to North Korea as a place with a common past and, possibly, a shared future. And Professor Ju Hui Judy Han, a Korean-American scholar who earned her Ph.D at the University of California at Berkeley and is currently an assistant professor in geography at the University of Toronto, has done much of the groundbreaking research on their efforts, and their effects on defectors’ new © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. Get the Daily Update & Podcast Updates Start your day with the North Korea stories that matter most – as selected by Trending

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The migration mission: How Christians shape the defection process

Scholar describes how faith-based Korean groups have made defection a ‘religious exodus’ and nationalist goal

Gianluca Spezza June 6, 2014

The migration mission: How Christians shape the defection process

Chairman Ros-Lehtinen, with Rep. McCotter reflects on repatriation of North Korean refugees by Chinese government - House Committee on F - CC BY-NC 2.0

Like it or not, Christians play an especially large role in the lives of North Korean defectors.

North Korea holds a special place in the hearts of both South Korean and Korean-American Christian missionaries who look to North Korea as a place with a common past and, possibly, a shared future. And Professor Ju Hui Judy Han, a Korean-American scholar who earned her Ph.D at the University of California at Berkeley and is currently an assistant professor in geography at the University of Toronto, has done much of the groundbreaking research on their efforts, and their effects on defectors’ new

About the Author

Gianluca Spezza

Gianluca Spezza earned his PhD in 2017 from the University of Central Lancashire under the supervision of Professor Hazel Smith, on the strength of research on the cooperation between UNICEF and the DPRK in education and childcare. Dr Spezza is an assistant professor of international relations and a senior researcher at the DPRK Strategy Center at KIMEP University in Almaty, Kazakhstan; he is writing a monograph on education, international cooperation, and human capital in North Korea (Palgrave 2021). His work on the DPRK, articles or interviews, can be found, among others, on the websites of the BBC, The Guardian, The Diplomat, IRIN News, NK News, DR.dk, Newsweek Korea, and El Confidential.

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