Robert Park (activist)

Robert Park
Born	1981 (age 36–37) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Missionary, human rights activist, peace advocate, pro-unification columnist
Known for	Detention in North Korea in 2009–2010

Robert Park (born 1981) is a Korean-American missionary, musician, and human rights activist. A peace advocate and supporter of Korean reunification, he is a founding member of the nonpartisan Worldwide Coalition to Stop Genocide in North Korea and a frequent columnist for South Korea's largest English newspaper, The Korea Herald. In December 2009 he was detained in North Korea for illegal entry after crossing the Sino-Korean border on Christmas Day to protest against the country's human rights situation. He was released in February 2010 after being detained for 43 days. He reported having suffered torture during his detention.

Park was born in Los Angeles, California. His Korean name is Park Dong-hoon (박동훈), and his grandparents were prominent Christians in North Korea before Korea's division. He spent much of his early life in California, Mexico and Arizona, where in 2007 he was ordained as a missionary by a non-denominational Church. Prior to his involvement with North Korea-related work, Park was active as a missionary in Sonora, Mexico, where he had assisted in the organization and delivery of humanitarian relief over several years.

A 2014 book published by a South Korean think tank indicates Park took vows of poverty and celibacy as a young adult and lived the life of a secular monk. He came close to committing his life to a monastery, being influenced by the charitable deeds and writings of nuns and ascetics. However, deeming service to the disadvantaged while remaining within the world more effectual, he opted for following much of the discipline of monastic life while steering clear of oftentimes divisive religious organizations. He read and was influenced by Simone Weil and Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

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