Daegu Migrant Mission Center

I visited the Daegu Migrant Mission Center, run by Pastor Ko Kyung-soo. Since founding it in Dalseong-gun, Daegu, in 2003, he has helped migrants handle problems with labor, residency, and everyday life. While I was there, a Nepali worker came in facing a demand for over 10 million won after a scooter accident left a car with a bent exhaust pipe and a small scratch. Instead of just handing him a phone number, Pastor Ko worked out the next steps with him, including how to hire a lawyer within his means. That refusal to simply send people away has defined his work. Aware that some people exploit migrants who cannot argue back in Korean, he believes no one should lose out because of language. When I met him, I heard the stories of the migrants he serves and the conviction behind his 23 years in the same place.