text: S. Korea asked to stop China-bound missionaries . BEIJING 1996-08-27 Beijing has called on Seoul to stop South Korean missionaries from travelling to China , a South Korean embassy spokesman said on Tuesday . The appeal was made on Sunday during talks between South Korean deputy Foreign Minister Lee Ki-choo and his Chinese counterpart Tang Jiaxuan , the spokesman said . It is not known why China raised the issue . Atheist China officially bans missionary activities but often turns a blind eye to religious activities of people nominally employed as foreign language teachers , particularly in remote areas that are unable to attract other candidates .