First of all: Please keep this free of politics, because this is a serious question from me that I have been thinking about for the past several days:

Is whatever-this-new-thing-is between North Korea and the United States going to benefit Americans (including the Mormon missionary we know about) who were kidnapped (mostly when they were on hiking trails in China)?

The Mormon missionary we know about has been reported to be living near Kim Jong Un, and teaching him English. He is reported to be now married to a citizen of North Korea, and is reported to be the father of children born of that marriage.

It is my understanding that there are other, "unrelated" Americans who have also been kidnapped and are living in North Korea.

Is there any real, viable, chance that these Americans might be able to come home to the United States?

Plus: what about those of other nationalities, most of them ALSO hikers on those trails in China, who news reports I read months ago said were similarly kidnapped? Are there Canadians among them? Brits? Other nationals of EU countries, or of other countries in the Americas?

Again: Please keep this politics-free. The situation has changed now, the facts are as they are, and we go from here.

This is reality--I am just wondering if we might be able to make this new reality work to the benefit of a number of people (beginning with that Mormon missionary) who were captured by the North Koreans and have been held, ever since, in North Korea.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/12/2018 09:01PM by Tevai.

Hi Tevai, here are a couple of things I’ve heard repeated in LDS cultural circles—

1. US Armed Forces often pave the way for the LDS Church and its missionaries (think WWII and Japan).

2. I was told second hand (perhaps others can comment) that LDS leaders spoke in Latin America how the brutality of the Spanish Conquistadors broke the pride of the Lamanites so missionaries would have success in there after the Gospel was restored.

3. The LDS Gospel has to be taught in all nations to all peoples before Christ’s Second Coming. Nations like China and North Korea are ripe for missionary work.

So, a way Mormon culture might interpret the Korean events is—

A strong US president used military threats to bring a dictator to the table. This is part of the Lord’s plan to break down political barriers so that LDS missionaries can bring the Gospel to North Korea. Eventually, both NK and China will be open for missionary work. That leaves mostly the Islamic world to be opened up.

As to individuals involuntarily held, they are not that important for the Lord’s work, it will move forward—perhaps these individuals will help in their own way.

Shalom, my good friend!

yes ~

little Kim has already agreed to return the remains of POWs and MIAs ~


then ~ the victims of kidnapping will be released (or their remains) ~


then the North Korean people will be released ~


the mormon missionary prolly should not be released until he is de-programmed from the Mormon cult thoughts (mebe never) ~



and mormons should prolly continued to be perm-banned from North Korea (one of little Kim's few good ideas) ~


in b 4 ~ in b 4 ~

This is one mighty smart post, Ziller. I guess pole-dancing minds run deep. You're awesome, Zil!

I think it's a good possibility, Tevai.

I am skeptical, Tevai.

NK has kidnapped people for many decades. There are stories of little girls walking home from school in coastal Japan being picked up and transported to NK, where they ended up teaching Japanese to government officials, were married off to prestigious Koreans, and then in lucky cases were allowed to meet their families decades later when NK was trying to make nice with Japan. Others are not there for didactic purposes but merely to serve as hostages.

Japan desperately wanted the US to insist on the return of a score of Japanese hostages as part of the recent deal: Abe was humiliated that the administration did not insist on that. American families of the detained also wanted their relatives to come home. Apparently these people did not rise high on the agenda although it would have cost NK little to release them.

The bottom line is that these people are political pawns. When in NK's interests, one or two or three are released. The most ever was, I believe, a decade or so ago when about a dozen were sent back to Japan--leaving a couple dozen more still in NK. But after releasing some, NK then abducts replacements since it is politically useful to have some on hand to grease the wheels in negotiations with countries that care about individuals.

So one here, one there, but never all will be released. And more will be captured.