S. Korean actor Jung Woo-sung speaks about hope in eyes of refugees in Nepal
By Kim Soo-yeon
SEOUL, Nov. 23 (Yonhap) -- South Korean actor Jung Woo-sung, known for his soft touch image in the movie world, had little interest in the issue of refugees around the world until recently when he was offered to become a U.N. "advocate" to help them.
Now, he is an active participant in programs being pushed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to help them. He recently visited Nepal to meet some refugees there, his first meeting with refugees as an honorary advocate for the South Korean office of the U.N. agency.
The 41-year-old actor said his Nepal visit was a valuable experience for him to understand the hard-pressed lives of refugees who have little or virtually no hope for their future.
"Refugees are living in lost hope and future. But I saw their perseverance as human beings for not giving up hope," Jung said in an interview with a group of reporters in Seoul after the Nepal visit.
Across the globe, refugees are made due to many reasons including conflicts, religion, ethnicity and politics. According to UNHCR, the total number of refugees around the world is estimated at 10.5 million and that of asylum seekers at about 930,000 as of January 2013.
Because of its geographical location, the land-locked Nepal has become one of the major hubs for "persons of concern" from around the world, including Bhutan, Tibet, Pakistan, Myanmar and Somalia, according to UNHCR. There are about 25,000 refugees in Nepal.
Jung said he met "scores" of such refugees during his five-day visit to Nepal that began on Nov. 3. His itinerary included watching a small stage play performed by young escapees from Bhutan who endured various political and religious persecution in their home country before crossing the border.
"One boy told me that his dream is to become an actor. My heart ached when he told me that he would like to visit South Korea after becoming a successful actor," Jung said. "I wished that his dream would come true."
Even in the face of uncertainty for their future, however, the refugees never gave up their hope and dreams, he said.
"The refugees spoke of their dream of coming back to their hometown someday. They have never lost a thread of hope," he said.
Jung said he felt a little bit uneasy the day before flying to Nepal, the same feeling he had the day before going to a movie shooting when he was young.
"On the day before the trip, I continued to ask myself over whether I am prepared," he said. "But when I visited there, I came to have conviction that l will do my best with a firmer commitment (in helping refugees)."
According to UNHCR officials, Jung is expected to be promoted to a goodwill ambassador next year. Around 10 goodwill ambassadors are currently working for UNHCR who include Hollywood star Angelina Jolie working as a special envoy.
The South Korean actor vowed to do his best to help refugees, stressing that the most important thing to help refugees is to understand what persecutions refugees have undergone and why they cross borders at the risk of their lives.
"I think that expanding understanding of the refugees is the first step toward supporting them," he said.
Jung also called attention to the issue of refugees and asylum seekers within South Korea, adding that consistent interests in them are important in helping refugees around the globe.
"Helping refugees can start with small contributions. I would like to play a positive role in supporting them," he said.
Jung's trip to Nepal was also joined by Dirk Hebecker, the representative of UNHCR Korea and Cho Sei-hon, a renowned photographer.
An exhibition of photos featuring Jung's activity in Nepal will be held in South Korea to mark the World Refugee Day in June 2015 as part of the U.N. agency's program to promote its humanitarian works, agency officials said.
sooyeon@yna.co.kr
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