Hundreds of S Korean Protestants march for peace in Israel
S Korean government had urged them to cancel march out of fear of anti-Christian attacks
Seoul (AsiaNews/Agencies) About 600 South Korean Protestants have left for Israel where they intend to march and hold a rally for peace despite their government's warning against possible anti-Christian terrorist attacks.
The group is made up of pilgrims from different Protestant denominations. Its plans for the "Jerusalem Jesus March 2004" include a mass rally and a march for peace in the Holy City and in some Palestinian areas from August 7 to 12.
Choi Paul, one of the organisers of the event, said that in light of the terrorist alert launched by South Korea's Foreign Ministry, people will convene indoor and the march will be shorter than anticipated (1.5 km instead of 5, or 1 mile instead of 3). "With the cooperation of the Israeli and Palestinian governments, we [shall] take the safety of the participants into the utmost consideration," Choi said.
According to a South Korean Foreign Ministry official the pilgrims will also travel to other countries in the Middle East (Syria and Jordan) and Central Asia (Uzbekistan and Tajikistan) before going to Israel. The official did not provide further information concerning the trip but did say that the Ministry had instructed its missions in Middle Eastern countries to pay extra attention to the safety of its citizens, in particular asking for Israel's collaboration.
In the wake of the murder of South Korean citizen Kim Sun-il last month at the hands of Islamist militants, the South Korean government called for the cancellation of the peace march out of fear that it might prompt terrorists to target Christian missionaries. For the same reason, it has been trying to discourage South Korean nationals from travelling to Iraq and neighbouring countries.
The terrorist group Tawhid wa al-Jihad (Unification and Jihad) decapitated 33-year-old Kim on June 22 following South Korea's decision to send troop to Iraq. The same group went further and on July 20 released a public statement on its website justifying the young man's decapitation on religious grounds: "We killed an infidel who was trying to spread Christianity in Iraq." The statement also said: "This infidel had studied theology and was getting ready to serve as a missionary in the Islamic world."
South Korea plans to deploy an additional 3,000 troops to Iraq making it the largest member of the coalition forces after the United States and the United Kingdom. (MR)
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