In Los Angeles there are hundreds of active prospering Korean churches, with tens of thousands of members. Many of the Korean churches have taken over from declining white congregations, revitalizing churches with packed houses. I’ve watch this phenomena for a generation. There is emerging a "real world" political awareness growing within the Korean Christian community.
My wife and I are members of the 5000 member Faith Korean Presbyterian in Torrance. When the Defense of Marriage Act [DOMA] was debated in 2000, I was completely surprised by spontaneous actions taking place at my church’s parking lot with an intense petition drive. Many Korean churches actively supported DOMA. This was a breakthrough for conservatives by proposing something tangible for fellow citizens and a striking breakout for the ordinarily insular Korean community. It marked promise to strengthen the conservative movement with the energy and resources of the expanding Korean population in California.
If conservatives could attract conservative Asians, we could help turn California to the right. All the elements are there. Values for education, family integrity, religion, productivity, enterprise and so on.
Well, good news. Michelle and I were invited to a Mr. Frank Lee’s home in Encino tonight to learn about Tumen River Vocational School. Tumen River is a river that divides China from North Korea. Each day the founder, Peter Han, from Northridge, now living at the school sees the gulag North Korea across the river.
Peter Han is part of a rapidly expanding group of Korean Amercian Christians desperate to aid and assist defectors from the worst governrment in the world. At this moment there are hundreds of thousands of North Korean defectors slowing riding the largest Underground Railroad in history. The railroad goes through a hostile Communist China . The journey is life or death. If famished North Korean refugee are spotted on the streets, they are immediately returned to the gulag for certain slave labor or death. US and Korean churches have responded by financing, assisting and aiding this railroad to get defectors out of China via Mongolia, Vietnam or any other country. It’s a slow and difficult process. Changing ID’s, transportation and housing are huge issues.
Here in the San Fernando Valley a group of Korean American college students and middle class immigrants were learning how the Tumen River Vocational School teaches Korean children how to learn trades that will sustain them. Most of the voluntary teachers are missionaries. The Chinese government is suspicious so all activities must be low profile. Still there is a huge awakening among the million plus Korean Americans in the US. There are meetings like this every night in America.
Conservatives need to take note and go out of their way to work with their natural allies. Many US evangelical churches are already working with Korean churches.
If conservatives want to make headway in Los Angeles and San Francisco, the democrat power centers, then working with Asians on issues that touch their lives will make the difference. Peter Han would like to hear from you.