Free Thunder in the Morning Calm by Don Brown Page A

ministry,” Jung-Hoon said, “so he does not know what you do.”
    “Of course,” Lee said. “Commander, our church secretly finances rescues of our brothers and sisters from the North.”
    A pause.
    “Really?” Gunner said. “I’d heard of this type of activity going on, but I didn’t know …”
    “Actually,” the pastor said, “we try to fly under the radar screen. Several Christian organizations are involved.”
    “You go through … where? … China?”
    “Exactly,” Lee said. “It is impossible to get anyone out of North Korea through the DMZ. So we use our contacts to sneak them across the border between North Korea and China. We move them through China to the northern tip of Laos, then across the Mekong River into Thailand. If we get them to Bangkok, they are usually arrested, but then they are given the choice of refuge in Europe, the USA, or Seoul. Most choose Seoul.”
    “Wow,” Gunner said. “That’s got to be a couple of thousand miles from the North Korean border to Bangkok.”
    “Closer to four thousand,” Lee said. “Hang on.” He reached into a cabinet and pulled out a map mounted on foam board. He set the map on an easel beside his desk.

    Escape route from North Korea through China, Laos, and Thailand to Bangkok
     
    “This map shows our rescue route through China. As you can see, our normal route takes us west of China’s major population centers, then down across the northern tip of Laos, across the Mekong River, and into Thailand. Bangkok is at the tip of the arrow.”
    Gunner got up to study the map. With his finger, he traced down the line of the arrow leading into Thailand. “That has to be very risky. Do your church members actually go?”
    “It is dangerous, and yes, a small number of our members go. They risk their lives.”
    Jackrabbit seemed to tighten up.
    “Only a select few know about our program. Jackrabbit lost his wife on one of these missions.”
    Gunner looked at Jackrabbit. “She died doing what she wanted to do,” Jackrabbit said. “A North Korean border guard shot her at the Yalu River border.”
    “And I lost my brother near the same border,” Jung-Hoon said. “He was on a church mission trip too.” No one said anything for a moment. “Pastor, do you have a map of the border?”

    North Korea showing border with China
     
    “Certainly,” Lee said. He set another map on the easel. “This is the North Korean – Chinese border. It runs from the southwest to the northeast for a distance of about 880 miles. Parts of the border are fenced off on both sides and heavily guarded to stem the flow of North Koreans trying to escape. Parts of it are not as heavily guarded.
    “We have established several different crossing points to make our rescue operations unpredictable. Most of the border, about five hundred miles of it, is marked by the Amnok River, as we call it, or the Yalu River, as the Chinese call it. It empties into Korea Bay, just beyond the town of Sinuiju.
    “Here is another map showing just the Amnok River, or the Yalu, as you call it.

    Amnok (Yalu) River on border of North Korea
     
    “Most of our refugees have crossed this river around the midsection. Unfortunately, in recent years, North Korean border patrols have increased, making escapes much more dangerous. They’ve begun firing across the river into China, shooting at North Koreans fleeing. They sometimes have hit rescuers. That is what happened to Jackrabbit’s wife and Jung-Hoon’s brother.”
    “Now you know why we hate the North Koreans so much,” Jackrabbit said.
    “I understand,” Gunner said.
    “Still,” the pastor continued, “as dangerous as this route is, at least there is a chance, and with a little luck and a lot of prayer … If you try to cross the DMZ, you’ve got no chance.”
    The pastor paused.
    Jung-Hoon looked at Gunner. “If you undertake this mission, I wanted Pastor Lee to get you to understand how deadly dangerous it can be, and, if you do decide