S. Korean accused of spying did humanitarian work: Group

Missionary tasked to help migrants

A South Korean missionary arrested by Russia on spying charges was sent to do purely humanitarian and mission work and had no involvement in helping North Korean workers to defect, the head of his aid group said.

Reverend Lee Sun-gu, who leads the Love Rice Sharing Foundation based in Incheon, said the allegation of espionage against his colleague was “totally absurd” and “completely untrue”.

“He was a conscientious and deeply religious person” who was “appointed by the group to help migrant labourers, the poor and people in hardship,” Lee said.

“Fifty per cent of our work is aiding the needy and 50% of our work is mission. That’s it,” he said.

“It’s totally absurd and I think it’s some kind of a setup,” Lee said, referring to the charge of espionage.

Russian state news agency Tass identified the man as Baek Kwangsoon, 53, and said it was the first case of a South Korean being arrested in Russia for alleged espionage. Separately, Tass in its English language report used the name Baek Won-soon.

The South Korean group’s website lists Baek Kwang-soon as the head of its mission in Vladivostok.

Baek had been detained in the far eastern city of Vladivostok before being transferred to Moscow for “investigative actions”.

Lee said Kwang-soon is an alias Baek uses, as is customary among missionaries who work in certain countries.

Lee denied Baek or the group helped North Korean labourers in Russia to defect, as reported by South Korean news agency Yonhap, quoting an unnamed acquaintance.

“Not at all. We have no knowledge of such activities, and if we had known that’s what he was doing, we would not have approved it. That kind of thing would put our missionaries at risk of arrest and being used for political purposes.”

“Missionary Baek not only helped North Korean labourers but also migrant workers from other countries and the very poor and the needy in that country.”

The Love Rice Sharing Foundation vets and appoints missionaries who are working in 69 countries after they are recommended by different churches, Lee said. The group provides financial and material support to missionaries.

South Korea had 21,917 longterm missionaries working in 174 countries as of 2023, one of the highest numbers globally together with the United States and Brazil, according to surveys. – Reuters