Robert Park crossed the border of North Korea on 25th of December last year in order to proclaim Christ's love and forgiveness to Kim Jong Il and to call for the release of political prisoners, but he was immediately arrested and severely beaten by North Korean border guards. He was imprisoned in North Korea for 43 days until he was released.
Park, who has been hospitalized several times because of PTSD (Post Trauma Stress Disorder) and suicidal attempts since his February release. He remained silent about his imprisonment in North Korea.
Park told in a phone interview with ChristianityToday in August, "I didn't want anything to happen to Aijalon because of me. I want him to come out first."
One of his best friend, Aijalon Mahli Gomes followed his footstep and entered North Korea. Gomes was imprisoned in North Korea until former US president Jimmy Carter made a humanitarian visit to North Korea.
In the interview with ChristianityToday, he still refrained from mentioning details of what occurred to him during his imprisonment. On Tuesday Park has spoken out for the first time on South Korean TV about the ordeal.
"They have really thought about this. How can we kill these people, how can we starve these people, how can we enslave these people, how can we control these people," said Park.
Now he pledged to devote the rest of his life to fighting for the demise of the North Korean regime and the human right of North Koreans.
Park recalled how he crossed the Duman (or Tumen) River on 25th of December last year, and was immediately arrested and beaten. "The scars and wounds of the things that happened to me in North Korea are too intense," he said. He added that to prevent him from divulging the details of his imprisonment, the security forces carried out humiliating sexual torture. "As a result of what happened to me in North Korea, I've thrown away any kind of personal desire. I will never, you know, be able to have a marriage or any kind of relationship."
He attempted suicide immediately after his return to the United States and had to be treated by a psychiatrist for seven months.
Park insisted that an apology he read on North Korean TV was dictated to him. Asked why he decided to enter the North illegally armed with nothing but a Bible, he said, "I hoped through my sacrifice, that people will come together and they will liberate North Korea."