— Yoon Wan‑Hee, December 10, 1998

These days, as Korea’s economic situation worsens, many people are reportedly entering Canada and the United States as economic refugees. We hear stories of people risking their lives, traveling through Canada or even South America under harsh conditions, just to reach the United States. To leave one’s homeland and live as a wanderer in a foreign land is one of the most shocking experiences a person can face. Yet these stories are not unique to Koreans. Every nation and every people has known such experiences—past, present, and surely in the future.

There are many reasons people are forced to leave their homeland. For us first‑generation immigrants, we left for our children’s education or for better economic opportunities, so we cannot call ourselves refugees. But today, out of the world’s five billion people, one hundred million have lost their roots because of hunger, war, political oppression, religious persecution, natural disasters, civil conflict, or economic collapse. That means one out of every fifty people is living as a refugee. And experts say that anyone alive today could, under the wrong circumstances, become a refugee.

This year, the World Council of Churches has designated it as the “Year of Solidarity with Refugees.” So today, let us reflect together on refugees and global migration.

When we think of refugees, many of us remember the horrors of the Korean War. Leaving behind homes, fields, and everything essential for survival—fleeing one’s birthplace—was the most extreme human experience imaginable. But in today’s generation, the word “refugee” also refers to the countless international orphans who must leave their homeland as a last means of survival.

In fact, the Old Testament is almost a story of refugees. The wandering life of Israel is woven throughout Scripture: Adam and Eve exiled from Eden; Noah fleeing natural disaster; Abraham and Sarah; Moses; Ruth; Joseph’s migration; the prophets fleeing persecution; and even the infant Jesus escaping to Egypt.

Today, global warming has intensified natural disasters. Hurricanes strike without warning, creating sudden waves of refugees. Recently, Hurricane Mitch devastated Central America, sweeping away 70–80% of entire nations. Climate‑driven disasters are expected to worsen. In many developing countries, population growth, economic collapse, and environmental destruction deepen poverty and heighten social tension—conditions that will only increase refugee crises.

Why should we, who live safely in this country, care about refugees wandering the world? Because human history shows that disaster can strike anyone, anywhere, at any time. And today’s refugee crises are larger and more severe than anything in past centuries. What, then, does God desire from us as Christians?

Long before the United Nations existed, the church was a place of refuge for foreigners. In Leviticus 19:33–34, God commands:

“When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. Treat them as native‑born and love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.”

And again in Deuteronomy 10:19:

“Love the stranger, for you yourselves were strangers in Egypt.”

We Koreans know this well. We lived through the Korean War. We have known the life of the wanderer. God’s words come close to our hearts.

Most of today’s refugees are victims of political conflict in their own countries. Their governments do not govern for all citizens but for a privileged few, creating internal strife. As a result, people rise up against unjust policies, guerrilla warfare erupts, and foreign aid often fuels prolonged conflict.