South Korea: Virtual Prison Visitation

Underground University (UU) isn’t just a school that teaches North Korean defectors how to do North Korean ministry—it’s a school through which North Koreans actually do North Korean ministry. Rather than waiting for Reunification, UU students take steps toward reunification by ministering to their own people—North Koreans who have defected, been sex trafficked, or who have been sent out to work in order to make money for the North Korean regime in countries around the world. 

One of the training programmes provided to UU students focuses on utilising technology to equip them for the underground ministry, both for evangelism and discipleship. This can be quite challenging, as these students are generally North Korean women in their 60s and 70s. But they are reminded that North Korean defectors are people who have overcome deadly obstacles to get to South Korea—surely, they can overcome technical obstacles as well. 

Through the programme, UU students have learned to book train tickets online, use secure communication applications, access Zoom meetings, and more. Recently, they received training on booking and coordinating virtual prison visitations. 

In South Korea, citizens can apply online to schedule virtual visits with inmates. If travelling to a prison is difficult, they can book a session at a different facility and communicate with the inmate via videophone for a ten-minute session. 

Unfortunately, there are many North Korean defectors incarcerated in South Korea, one of whom is Mr Kang, who became a UU student while still in prison. 

Mr Kang is involved in the John Ross Bible translation project. He has recently drafted a translation of the Gospel of John. He routinely asks for translation materials and has read almost all of the books in the VOM Korea catalogue. He is happy to know that his work in translating the Bible has been integrated with other works, bringing them together into one comprehensive project.