This was the first thing I saw after leaving China and walking out of the customs area into Korea at the Gimpo International Airport in Seoul. A faithful Christian man was waiting for the many passengers from Shanghai. “Believe in Jesus” was his simple message. I gave him a thumbs up and asked permission to take this photo. He was happy to share his image with the world. “Believe in Jesus” – what an urgently needed message.
The religious liberty of Korea is refreshing, though China has a degree of it. Christianity has flourished in Korea, as have other beliefs. The freedom of the people to believe, to assemble, and to share their religious thoughts with others is an important part of the liberty of Korea that has contributed to such amazing prosperity and beauty in this land. May all the world one day become a safe place to share one’s religious beliefs with others. I think the gift of religious liberty will only make a nation stronger, better, and happier.
The Korean people are an extremely devout people. I have a ton of respect for the Christian living of Koreans. They proclaim it loudly, but they back that up with living it deeply.
One custom that I've noticed is that you have to be careful in how you compliment a Korean person. If you compliment a hat, or a scarf, or a jacket, they might just try to give it to you!
It's sad to see that our nation built on this very liberty is doing everything it can to squash it…
On my first visit to Korea (in 1992 or 1993), I represented my company at a Korean automaker. The gentleman who hosted me spent 30 minutes with me prior to our meeting with the entire team. The first thing he told me about was his Catholic faith, then his wife and chilren.
A work colleague — a Korean American — came out of retirement in the US to go back to Korea where he worked for us, and established a Korean Christian church. When he learned I was LDS, he said, "You're going to change that, aren't you?" I laughed and said no. But I was greatly moved by his devotion to his faith.
At the same time, I'm a little sad that you went through Gimpo Airport for your first visit to Korea. I hope you get a chance to go through Incheon Airport sometime. It's the best airport in the world!
Glad to see that they have Dunkin Donuts too!
Gimpo was a terrific airport, though I mispronounced it as Gitmo – one of the places I don't want to visit.