wfn.org | First Person: Blood is thicker than water

[BethAH <BethAH@mbm.org>]

August 30, 2000
Beth Hawn
Communications Coordinator
Mennonite Board of Missions
phone (219) 294-7523
fax (219) 294-8669
<www.MBM.org>
August 30, 2000

First Person:  Blood is thicker than water

SEOUL (MBM/COM) – From Aug.15-18, 2000, Koreans wept and the
world watched as family members saw, touched and spoke to each
other for the first time in 50 years. With tears, sobs, deep bows
and gifts, family members and indeed both North and South felt
the emotion of the reunions and agreed with the oft-heard remark
from family members: “Blood is thicker than water.”

One hundred South Koreans traveled to Pyongyang for the reunion
that was organized by the South Korean Red Cross.  Of the 700,000
people who applied for the reunion, the government selected 200
names.  These names were sent to North Korean officials for
confirmation that their relatives were still living.  The North
Korean government located 132 families, leaving the Red Cross to
make the final choice of 100.

More emotional than any movie, the personal stories were told and
re-told.  One man from the South discovered that his mother, 109
years old, was still alive in the north, only to find that she
had died in the days before the reunion.  Another saw his elderly
mother again only to find she did not recognize him because of
senile dementia.  Yet another brought along his South Korean wife
to meet the North Korean wife he was forced to abandon so many
years ago. Many families were separated in the confusion of
fleeing from battles, or were never seen again after simply
stepping out of the house to run an errand 50 years ago.

Their joy was intense but short-lived and not shared by all.  Two
days after meeting, family members were forced to say goodbye,
not knowing whether they would see each other again. Meanwhile,
those not chosen to see family members during this visit tried by
any available means to get North Korean guests to let their
family members in the North simply know they were alive.

During this exchange, only 100 family members of the South
visited the North, and 100 from the North visited the South.
Some 1.23 million separated family members live in South Korea
alone.  Even if 100 people were allowed to meet their North
Korean family members each month, it would take more than 1,000
years to accomplish reunions for all.  Blood may be thicker than
water, but it is not eternal.

Together in history for some 5,000 years, the last 50 years for
Koreans have been lived side-by-side like neighbors caught in a
perennial grudge match, neither able to move.  Through words and
with blood, North and South Korea have fought over the unity and
identity of the Korean people and peninsula.  Although they have
argued over the process of reunification and future identity,
they have never denied their express desire to be reunited, for
they are “one people.”

Blood, birthplace and alma mater.  More than anything else, these
three characteristics have helped the Korean people identify
themselves to each other down through the millennia.  They are
the basis of families and friendships, education and economy,
alliances and allegiances. Recent events on this divided
peninsula have again highlighted their importance and divergence.

Earlier, in November 1998, the Hyundai corporation struck a
landmark deal by which tourists from the South could travel by
cruise ship to visit the famed Keumgang (Diamond) mountains in
the North.  Pictures of the mountains did justice to their
legendary beauty.  The press photographers are to be admired for
not offending the North by excluding pictures of the ubiquitous
Northern tour “guides,” and also for not offending the South by
excluding pictures of communist propaganda engraved on the rock
faces up the mountain path.  All of this is part of the carefully
choreographed limitations placed on either side that are agreed
to through marathon meetings prior to each event.

The most striking pictures, though, are of elderly tourists from
the South, bowing on blankets filled with all of the foods and
utensils used in ancestral worship.  These have come not to see
the mountains, but to pay homage to their ancestors (preferably
at their tombs or birthplace). Since they cannot travel to any
other point in the North, these Southerners must be contented
with this substitute birthplace.  Their birthplace may be in
North Korea, but even from the mountaintop it is not visible,
much less “visit-able.”

As “fate” would have it, the first two characteristics – blood
ties and birthplace – are fixed and unchangeable.  Despite
oppression, separation, ideological differences and the passage
of time, the Korean people remain “one” in this regard.  The only
changeable variable in Korean identity occurs through one’s alma
mater.  Education at all levels in Korea is pursued with an
almost religious zeal.  Places and people through whom the
blessing of education is received significantly shape people’s
thought and command their allegiance.

An extreme example of this is the cult politics of the North
begun by the “Great Leader,” KIM, Il-Sung and now continued
through his son, the “Dear Leader,” KIM, Jong-Il.  As a result of
different ideologies and allegiances, the Korean War broke out.
Since the war, these identifying characteristics have either been
forcefully separated from or in conflict with each other.

On Sept. 2, 63 “unconverted” prisoners in the South will be
allowed to return to the North as part of the accord reached
between the two countries in June.  Of the 63 people, 50 have
spent more than 30 years each in prison for refusing to drop
their allegiance to North Korea.  They are some of the world’s
longest-detained “prisoners of conscience.”  Many of these have
chosen to return to their birthplaces (“cherished, long-missed
hometowns”) despite the fact that they will have to leave behind
family.  Another 25 opted to stay in the South to care for their
families.  One of these, an 80-year-old man, had the unenviable
decision of choosing between his South Korean wife and the one in
North Korea from whom he had been separated for years.

Education not only brought differing ideologies to the Korean
people, it also remains the avenue of hope for many today.  Many
seek education in the hope that it will transform their job and
marital prospects.  Others seek education in the hope that they,
their families and their communities will be transformed through
the power of God’s Spirit.  It is these individuals that the
Commission on Overseas Mission, Mennonite Board of Missions and
Mennonite Central Committee have been invited to work with,
sharing the story of transformed individuals and reconciling
communities through an Anabaptist Research Center.

The journey ahead toward the reconciliation and reunification of
Korean people is unclear, but the Christian community has a clear
command to follow.  Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all
your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with
all your strength.”  To paraphrase Jesus’s words for the Korean
context:  “Love the Lord your God with all of your being – with
all the deep longing you have for your birthplace (‘heart’), with
all your religiosity and allegiance (‘soul’), with all your
education and learning (‘mind’), and with all the responsibility
and physical resources passed on to you by your ancestors
(‘strength’).”  With words as needed now as when they were first
spoken, Jesus added, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mark
12:30,31)

                * * *
Tim Froese, COM/MBM/MCC worker in Seoul, Republic of Korea