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| Ven. Seollae, left, from Nepal who has helped Nepali immigrants adapt to Korea and promote South Korea's Buddhism culture; Wesley John Wentworth Jr., center, a missionary from the United States who has worked to promote Christianity in South Korea; Justice Minister Park Beom-kye and Sister Cristina Evelina Gal, right, from Romania, who has helped migrant workers and children in South Korea are seen in this photo, provided by the justice ministry Feb. 24. Courtesy of Ministry of Justice |
The justice ministry awarded South Korean citizenship to three foreign religious activists Thursday in recognition of their long-running contributions to the country, according to government officials.
Missionary Wesley John Wentworth Jr. from the United States, Sister Cristina Evelina Gal from Romania and Ven. Seollae from Nepal were given South Korean citizenship as special contributors to the country.
They can keep both their original and South Korean nationalities, according to the ministry.
Wentworth, an 86-year-old whose Korean name is Won Yi-sam, first visited South Korea in 1965 as a construction engineer and built Christian hospitals in several cities across the country, including Seoul and Gwangju in the southwest.
He has stayed in South Korea since reentering the country in 2003 and worked to promote studies on Christianity and establish Christian groups here.
The Romanian nun was dispatched to the Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul in 2007 and has since worked to build shelters for migrant workers and children, and give education and medical support to them at pastoral care centers in the country.
Since 2018, the 45-year-old has worked at the Diocese of Jeju, helping Yemeni refugees' resettlement.
The 45-year-old Nepali monk, whose real name is Tamang Dhawa Chhiring, was invited to South Korea to practice a monastic life by the Jogye Order, the country's largest Buddhist sect.
He built a Nepali sanctuary at Bongguk Temple in northern Seoul to help Nepali immigrants adapt to Korea and promote South Korea's Buddhism culture.
After receiving citizenship certificates, the three said they were proud to become Korean citizens.
"Living here for about 50 years, South Korea has become my home," Wentworth said, expressing hope the country will have a brighter future.
Since adopting the system in 2012, the justice ministry has granted citizenship to a total of 12 foreign special contributors who have had a positive influence on the country for a long time, including John Alderman Linton, an American Korean doctor who reportedly developed South Korea's first locally manufactured ambulance in 1992 and has worked to eradicate tuberculosis in North Korea. (Yonhap)
