Picture and Story

Korean Killed in Afghanistan Dedicated Life to Serving Others

Afghan convert to Christianity thanks South Korean church for its sacrifice.

by Peter Lamprecht

ISTANBUL, August 2 (Compass Direct News) – A Korean Christian aid worker murdered by his Taliban captors on Monday (July 30) had sacrificed his time and job to help those less fortunate than himself, eventually losing his life while serving the needy in Afghanistan.

For Shim Sung Min, 29, traveling to Afghanistan with an aid group of 23 members of his home congregation in South Korea reflected an active desire to live out his faith.

The former IT worker, a graduate of South Korea’s Gyeongsang National University, had volunteered his time to teach Sunday school classes to handicapped church-goers on a weekly basis at the Sammul Presbyterian church, a member of the church said.

Prompted by the needs of poor Korean farmers negatively affected by globalization, Shim had decided to quit his job and pursue a graduate degree in agriculture, the church member told Compass.

“He always wanted to help,” the church member said. “He was moved to go to Afghanistan in order to help people.”

Korean Internet news website Dong-A Ilbo reported that Shim’s family planned to carry out Shim’s request that his body be donated to Seoul National University Hospital.

Shim’s corpse was expected to arrive in South Korean today as negotiations for the release of 21 remaining Korean hostages from his church continue. The group’s leader, pastor Bae Hyung Kyu, was shot on July 25, his birthday.

Taliban spokesmen threatened to kill more hostages yesterday by 12 p.m. (local time) if the Afghan government continued to refuse to release Taliban prisoners. Taliban leaders later confirmed that no one had been hurt.

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