Two Missionaries Murdered in Russia

Vol. 3, No. 2, Spring 1995, Covering the Former Soviet Union and East Central Europe

Two Missionaries Murdered in Russia

Unknown assailants murdered a Korean-American couple in their apartment in Khabarovsk, Siberia, on 28 March 1995. At the time, the victims, Dr. Chu Hong Yi, and his wife, Kei Wol Yi, a nurse, were serving as medical missionaries with Cooperative Services International, a Southern Baptist affiliate. They were members of Tidewater Korean Baptist Church in Virginia. While police have not determined a motive, a South Korean source cited by News Network International speculated that the murders may have been committed by North Korean assassins. The report also stated that the case would likely go unsolved because of a lack of evidence and the limited resources of the local police.

This incident brings home the many social problems of the former Soviet Union. Violent crimes are on the rise, and authorities struggle to respond because of internal problems such as lack of funds and proper equipment. Despite this trend, missionary activity remains strong at this time. In fact, over 500 Korean missionaries currently work in the former Soviet Union. They join hundreds of other missionaries from around the world who are working to share Christ with the people of the former Soviet Union. (See "Missionaries to the Former Soviet Union and East Central Europe: the Twenty Largest Sending Agencies," p. 10.)

"Two Missionaries murdered in Russia," East-West Church & Ministry Report, 3 (Spring 1995), 4.

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