by Choe Sang-Hun from the New York Times Seoul, South Korea. In
August 1996, the Venerable Pomnyun, a Buddhist monk from South
Korea, was cruising down the Yalu River between China and North
Korea when he saw a boy squatting alone at the North Korean edge
of the water. The boy was in rags, his gaunt face covered in
dirt. Pomnyun shouted to him, but the boy did not respond.
Pomnyun’s Chinese companion explained that North Korean children
were instructed never to beg from foreigners. And when Pomnyun
asked if the boat could be steered closer to the child to bring
help, he was reminded that they could not enter North Korean
territory. “Never before had I realized the meaning of a border
so painfully until that day,” said Pomnyun, 59. “Never before
had I felt so acutely that Korea is a divided nation.” The
encounter led him to establish one of the first relief campaigns
for North Korean refugees and to take on an unlikely role for a
Buddhist monk. Today, rather than leading a secluded life of
quiet contemplation,