On the Subway in Seoul

Dec 2006 Issue

By Jonathan H. Westover

It was a summer afternoon in Seoul, Korea. I had been in the mission field for just six months and found myself with a new senior companion in a new area. My companion was also the district leader, and while returning to our own area following a visit to other elders, we found ourselves in a crowded subway car packed with commuting Koreans.

We were standing, as there was no room to sit, when the rear subway car door opened and a large middle-aged man in a dark suit entered our car. It only took a few seconds to realize his purpose in being there, as he began to quote scripture loudly and call everyone to repentance. He was what Koreans call a ‘jundosa,’ a very aggressive proselytizing missionary from one of the other Christian churches in Korea.

His “preaching” continued for just a minute or so before he took notice of my companion and me standing a few yards away from him. As soon as he saw us he stopped his preaching mid-sentence and turned on us. He began to yell and call us a variety of derogatory names as he approached. He told everyone on the train that we were the “evil Mormons,” that we were dark servants of Satan, full of hate. He also insulted us directly.

I didn’t understand all of the profanities he was spewing at us and was content to just ignore him until the next stop, when we could get off the train and away from him. My companion, on the other hand, was having difficulty ignoring him and I could tell he was using all his self-control to keep from retaliating verbally or simply punching this guy!

We turned our backs to the preacher and renewed our efforts to ignore him, which infuriated him even more and he increased the intensity of his profanities. All the while I was saying a fervent prayer that the people on the train would not believe the man’s ranting and that my companion would be able to control his temper.

I could tell my companion was almost to his breaking point. He spun around to confront the preacher when another man stood up and intervened. He quietly said to the angry preacher, “You come in here and tell us to believe in Christ and repent. You tell us that these two young men are servants of Satan. You yell at them and call them dark and evil. But look at them.

“They are minding their own business and not bothering anyone. They are dressed in white shirts and are clean. They look like angels. You are the one that is dark. You are the one that is full of hate and evil. Get off this train and leave them alone!” With that, other bystanders in the car began to clap in support and tell the preacher to get off of the train. The preacher reluctantly relented to the crowd’s sentiment and left the car, cursing us as he went.

We thanked the people in the car for their help and support and quietly waited for our stop. When we got off of the train, the quiet Korean man who stood up for us got off with us. We thanked him for his courage, and we were not surprised to find that he was interested in learning more about us and the Church.

The man did not live in our area, so we referred him to his local Elders. I don’t know whether or not he accepted the gospel, but one thing is for certain—he saw the good in us and felt the Spirit. I was grateful for my prayer being answered and for his courage in speaking the truth. The good example he set on a crowded subway is one anyone can emulate.

Jonathon Westover is a member of the Maple Hills Ward, Tooele Utah Valley View Stake.