017 GREGORY BY SEAN P RO TURNED SPORTS KID HOW CRAZY STRESS. CRAZY COSTS. CRAZY TRAVEL. 一般 Melanie Barcenas, 9 , 0 工 San Diego spends most weekends competingfor her travel team IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Ⅱ 雑誌 20952 - 9 / 11 JAPAN. .. 定価 \ 980 ( 本体 \ 87 ) 161018461 立文 : 墅食。 0 0 9 0 7 4 9 1 0 2 0 9 5 2 0 9 7 0

A G E N A M E M を AN 夏 BARC ENAS SPORT_ Soccer 9 MeIanie, practicing in her San Diego backyard, hopes tO fO OW in the footsteps Of the superstar Neymar. "He playsjust like me," she says. MeIanie plays multiple games most weekends. TO save money, her family stays in a hOteI only if a game is more than a four-hour drive 行 om home. past 18 months, investors have plowed over $ 1 billion into the youth-sports mar- ket, according t0 SI Play CEO JeffKarp. The boom has given rise to countless entrepreneurial efforts, from new facilities tO recruiting sites tO private- coaching outfits. Even during the depths Ofthe Great Recession, revenue for Travel Team USA, a company that books youth- sports travel, continued tO double year over year. ln 2012 , entrepreneur Fliegel launched CoachUp, an app that connects young athletes with coaches. The NBA star Stephen Curry is an investor. "lt opened ⅲ 2014 and includes 31 grass and win the hearts ー and future wallets ー of its doesn't hurt t0 say Steph's one 0f the synthetic fields for soccer, lacrosse and youngest customers. Business iS thriving. bosses," says Victor Hall, a NewYork City other field sports, 26 softball and base- Wide ・ World of Sports hosted 385 , 285 teacher and coach who calls the private ball diamonds, and a 370,ooo-square- athletes in 2016 , up 28 % since 2011. hoops lessons he offers through the app foot indoor facility. The city is hoping that Sometime this winter, the Sports a "thriving ” side business. tax revenue generated by new hotels, re- KingDome, a facility with 347 , 000 sq. 仕 . Across the U. S. the rise ⅲ travel teams tail outlets and medical facilities near the Of indoor space—enough tO fit a dozen has led to the kind offacilities arms race park will eventually pay offthe debt. multisport fields, or six Little League once reserved for big colleges and the Westfield offcials had considered at- baseball fields—is slated to open on the pros. Citie S and towns are using tax tempting tO draw a minor-league base- site 0f a former IBM campus in East money t0 build or incentivize play-and- ball team to the city. "That gives you FishkiIl, N. Y. , some 70 miles north of stay mega-complexes, betting that the in- some prestige; ” says COOk. "But it's not New York City. lt will become one of flux ofvisitors will li 仕 the local economy. really our moneymaker. Our moneymaker the largest domes on the planet, and the That was the thinking in WestfieId, iS regional tournaments, under 16 years owner plans tO auction naming rights tO lnd. , which was hunting for ways to ex- of age. Because they bring Mom, Dad, the highest bidder. The $ 25 million, all- pand the commercial taxbase ofthe small brother, sister, grandparents. " weather complexwill allow families ⅲ the city some 20 miles north ofdowntown ln- The pioneer ofthis trend is the ESPN populous northeastern U. S. to play travel dianapolis. "We wondered, ls it conceiv- Wide WorId of Sports Complex, which soccer, lacrosse and baseball 12 months able t0 create an industry around family opened ⅲ 1997 on the grounds 0fDisney a year, just like they d0 in the Sun Belt. travel sports?" says mayor Andy cook. WorId in Orlando. The 220-acre venue Concluding that it was, WestfieId issued a110Ws Disney to collect revenue from WOULD THAT BE SO BAD? Many fami- $ 70 million in bonds to build Grand park tournament fees, hOtel stays and theme- lies say they enjoy the travel-sports ex- Sports Campus, a 400-acre complex that parktickets, while giving it anotherway to perience. Parents bond with one another. 40 TIME September 4 , 2017

JOEY ERACE KNOCKS PITCH AFTER PITCH INTO THE NETTING OF HIS $ 15 , 000 backyard batting cage, the pings from his metal bat filling the air in the south New Jersey cul-de-sac. His private hitting coach, who's charging $ 100 for this hour-long session, tells Joey to shorten his stride. He's accustomed tO such focused instruction: the evening batting practice followed a one-on-one fielding lesson in PhiIadeIphia earlier ⅲ the day, which cost another $ 100. Relentless tralning is essential for a top player who suits up for nation- ally ranked teams based ⅲ Texas and CaIifornia, thousands ofmiles 仕 om home. ButJoeyhas talents that scouts covet, including lightning quickness with a rare knack for making slight adjustments at the plate—lowering a shoulder angle, turning a hip—to drive the ball. "He has a real swagger," says Joey's hitting coach, Dan Hennigan, a former minor leaguer. "As long as he keeps putting in this work, he's going to be a really, really solid base- ball player at a really, really high level. ” Already, Joey has a neon-ready nickname—Joey Baseball—and more than 24 , 000 followers on lnstagram. Jewelry and apparel companies have asked him t0 hawk their stu 圧 On a rare family vacation in FIorida, a boy approachedJoey ⅲ a restaurant and asked for his autograph. ButJoey Base- ball has yet to learn cursive. He is, after all, only 10 years old. They snapped a picture instead. Joey Erace is an extreme example ofwhat has become a new reality for America's aspiring young athletes and their families. Across the nation, kids of all skill levels, in virtually every team sport, are getting swept up by a youth-sports economy that increasingly resembles the pros at increasingly early ages. Neighborhood Little Leagues, town soccer associations and church basketball squads that bonded kids in a community—and didn't cost as much as a rent check—have largely lost their luster. Little League participation, for example, is down 20 % from its turn-of-the-century peak. These localleagues have been nudged aside by private club teams, a loosely governed constellation that includes everything 仕 om development academies affiated with professional sports franchises t0 regional squads run by moonlighting coache s with little experience. The most competitive teams vie for talent and travel tO national tournaments. Others are elite in name only, siphoning expensive participation fees from parents ofkids with little hope of making the high school varsity, let alone the pros. The cost for parents is steep. At the high end, families can spend more than 10 % oftheir income on registration fees, travel, camps and equipment. 34 TIME September 4 , 2017 Joe Erace, WhO owns a salon and spas in New Jers ey and Pennsylvania, says Joey's budding baseball career has cost north of $ 30 , 000. A volleyball dad from upstate New York spent $ 20 , 000 one year on his daughter's club team, including plenty on gas: up t0 four nights a week she com- muted 2 % hours round-trip for practice, not getting home until 11 : 30 p. m. That pales beside one Springfield, Mo. , mom, whO this summer regularly made a seven- hour round-trip journey t0 ferry her 10- and ll-year-old sons to travel basketball practice. Others hand their children over entirely. A family from Ottawa sent their 13-year-01d t0 New Jersey for a year, t0 increase his ice time on the travel hockey circuit. A sponsor paid the teen's $ 25 , 000 private-school tuition. This summer, 10 boys from across the U. S. stayed with host families ⅲ order t0 play for a St. Louis— based travel baseball club. "lt's definitely taken over everything," says Magali Sanchez, a legalrecords clerk from San Diego whose daughter MeIanie Barcenas, 9 , and son Xzavier Barcenas, 8 , play travel soccer. TO help pay for their fees, Sanchez's husband CarIos, a gas- station attendant, will spend 12 hours on a Saturday carting supplies at tournaments. Practice and tournaments overtake nights and weekends like kudzu—Sanchez says they often have to sk1P family weddings and kids' birthday parties. "This sports lifestyle is crazy,: ” she says. "But they're your kids. You do anything for them. A range ofprivate businesses are min- ing this deep, do-anything parentallove. The U. S. youth-sports economy—which include s everything 仕 om travel tO private coaching tO apps that organize leagues and livestream games—is now a $ 15.3 bil- lion market, according tO WinterGreen Research, a private firm that tracks the industry. And the pot is rapidly getting bigger. According t0 figures that Winter- Green provided exclusively t0 TIME, the nation's youth-sports industry has grown by 55 % since 2010. The numbers have been catnip for in- vestors. A top NBA star and the billionaire owner Of the NFL's most valuable team own equity in youth-sports startups. Major media and retail companies are investing in technology that manages peewee schedules. And municipalities that once vied for minor-league teams are now banking on youtWsports tO bOOSt

THE MONEY CRUNCH ⅲ early specializers. ” The group says de- laying specialization in most cases until late adolescence increases the likelihood ofathletic success. Devotion tO a single sport may also be counterproductive tO reaching that hOly grail: the college scholarship. ln a survey 0f 296 NCAA Division I male and female athletes, UCLA researchers discovered that 88 % played an average oftwo to three sports as children. ()ther consequences are more imme- diate. AS expensive travel teams replace community leagues, more kids are get- ting shut out Of organized sports. Some 41 % of children from households earn- ing $ 100 , 000 or more have participated in team sports, according tO the Sports & Fitness lndustry Association. ln house- holds with income 0f $ 25 , 000 or less, participation is 19 %. ON WEEKEND IN EARLY JUNE, 1 eyes were on Joey Baseball. "ls that him?" a rival player asked his coach. Yes, indeed, it was Joey Erace ofsouthern NewJersey in the flesh, warming up on a field in the town of Sulphur, La. , where he had flown t0 play for the Texas Bombers at a regional tournament. ln addition t0 Joey, the Bombers imported two star players from California and a power hitter from Mexico, whO smacked a moonshot home run in a preliminary-round game. Bombers coach LaIe Esquivel, who won the C011ege World Kids make new friends. "We have friends Series at the University 0fMiami ⅲ 1999 , and family tell us that it's too much, too make s no apologie s for running his team soon," says Jerry Martinez, Luke's father. like a professional outfit. "I can see talent "But this is his passion. l'm not going tO at a young age," Esquivel says. "MY son stomp on it. is special. I want tO surround him with There are mounting concerns, hOW- the best kids from across the country. ln ever, over the consequences Of such return, playing on my team is going t0 intensity, particularly at young ages ・ help your son. DO we win? Of course we The average number of sports played by win. If l'm going to be investing all this children ages 6 to 17 has dipped for three time and money, we might as well win. straight years, according t0 the Sports & Still, amid the plane rides, autograph Fitness lndustry Association. ln a study requests and high-pressure tourna- published in the May issue 0f American ments, there are moments When things Journ 可 Sports Medicine, University lurch intO perspective. At one point dur- of Wisconsin researchers found that ing the weekend in Louisiana, Joe Erace young athletes wh0 participated ⅲ tuckedJoey's pants ⅲ for him and paused. their pnmary sport for more than eight "Sometimes when l'm getting on him a months in a year were more likely tO bit," he says,'my wife reminds me that report overuse injunes. Joey still thinks a big fat guy ⅲ a red suit lntense specialization can aISO tax delivers presents all around the world. " minds. According t0 the American Acad- —With reporting by ABIGAIL ABRAMS emy Of Pediatrics, "burnout, anxiety, depression and attrition are increased AND TARA JOHNSON/NEW YORK FamiIies are spending mo S15 on youth sports Youth sports market, including team fees, ー apparel and travel B に凵 ON $ 15B : 、 ' ~ 第ジ、第 13 を第 , ゞド、 5 BILLION 0 2016 2010 2005 But the rising costs have shut 0 瞰 many families Participation rates, by family lncome $ 25K ー : $ 75K ー $ 49K ! $ 99K Under $ 50K ー $ 100K + $ 25K $74K Percentage Of players per sport, by household income $75K- $ 25K ー $ 49K $ 99K $ 50K ー $ 74K ! $ 100K + Under $ 25K FOOTBALL ー 岨 CROSSE 100 % 50 % NOTES: PARTICIPATION RATES BASEDON TO 17-YEAR ・ OLDS WHO PLAY REGULARLY SOURCES: WINTERGREEN RESEARCH; SPORTS & FITNESS INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION; ASPEN INSTITUTE 0 %

High-end polarized sunglasses are a CO 1n10n accessory Ⅳ 00d bats are cheaper but frequently break One cross-country レゆが t unusual, and 0 e 「 players a 居 0 travel far fo 「 CO 〃 ege showcases TRA レド ( TRAINING S300 Helmet 日 bOW protector FOOt guard S400 /WEEK Camps and clinics /HOUR Batting-cage rental Metal bat Round-trip airfare S70 Equipment bag Batting gloves S600 /SEASON Gas S100 /HOUR Private coaching S100 /NIGHT L0dgi ng S250 Spikes Glove NOTE: COSTS VARY WIDELY. THE FIGURES SHOWN HERE ARE AVERAGES BASED ON INTERVIEWS WITH COACHES AND ADMINISTRATORS FOR TRAVEL BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL CLUBS AROUND THE U. S. G R A P H ー C S B Y E M に Y B A R 0 N E AND LON TWEETEN like myself, a quote-unquote expert on youth-sports development complex, pressure, especially if your kids have this stu 圧 Because l'm human. l'm a dad. ” they're naive; ” says sports psychologist some talent. You feel it a little more. But Jim Taylor. "They absorb the message we want the kids to have fun and be with THERE ARE FEW better places tO take they hear most: 'You mean, your kid's not their friends. We have t0 take a step back the measure Of the youth- sports indus - playing on a travel team? She's not playing and keep asking ourselves, What's the all the time? what's wrong?* " Taylor, trial complex than the Star, the gleam- end goal?" ing, 91-acre, $ 1.5 billion new headquar- wh0's writing a b00k about yo th- sports ThiS parenting experience iS new, ters and practice facility 0f the Dallas parenting, has tWO daughters, 12 and 10 , given that the hypercharged kids' sports Cowboys. Turn le 代 upon entering the who ski and swim. “ lt's hard not t0 get scene didn't exist on this scale just a building and you'll find the offces 0fBlue sucked he says. for someone few years ago. 'When parents enter the Average annual spending 0f families with children ages 8 tO 18 whO play organized sports COSt tO families, by sport $1 , 143 BAS KETBALL $7 , 956 LACROSSE $1 , 472 SOCCER $2 , 739 FOOTBALL $4 , 044 BASEBALL/SOFTBALL $7 , 013 HOCKEY SOURCE: NATIONAL FAMILY SURVEY ANALYSIS BY TRAVIS DORSCH. UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY 37

~ 0 け CHAMPI 一は A G E N A M E being privatized," says Jordan Fliegel, an local economies, issuing bonds for lavish entrepreneur whO has capitalized on the complexes that they hope will lure glove- shift. Whatever the answer is, the transi- toting tykes and their families. tion has been seismic, With implications There are upsides tO the frenzy. Some for small towns, big businesses and mil- kids thrive Off intense competition, and lions of families. the best players receive an unprecedented level ofcoaching and training. The travel THE UNITED STATES Specialty Sports circuit can also bring people 0f different Association, or USSSA, is a nonprofit backgrounds together in a way that 10Ca1 with 501 ( c ) ( 4 ) status, a designation for leagues by definition d0 not. organizations that promote SOCial welfare. But as community-based teams give According tO its most recent available way tO a more mercenary approach, IRS filings, it generated $ 13.7 million in worth asking what's lOSt in the process. revenue in 2015 , and the CEO received Already, there are worrymg signs ・ A grow- $ 831 , 200 in compensation. The group ing bOdy Of research shows that intense hOlds tournaments across the nation, early specialization in a single sport and it ranks youth te ams ⅲ basketb all, increases the risk Of injury, burnout and baseball and softball. The softball rank- depression. Fees and travel COStS are ings begin with teams age 6 and under. pricing out lower-income families. Some Baseball starts at age 4 ・ kids who don't show talent at a young age played second base for the Drillers. His E ntering June, Joey Erace 's D allas-area are discouraged from ever participating family lives ⅲ a well-appointed mobile team, the Texas Bombers, was third in the in organized sports. Those wh0 d0 Often home in south San Antonio. Luke's mom USSSA's 10-and-under baseball power chase scholarships they have a minuscule Nalone cooks for a food truck. Luke's dad ranking. The Alamo (Texas) Drillers were chance Of earning. Jerry is alogistics coordinator at a printer NO. 1. This summer, Luke Martinez, 10 , 'For better or worse, youth sports iS 35 SPORT_ Baseball 30 を Y ERACE "llove working hard; ” says 」 oey, whO lives in southern New 」 ersey but has suited up fO 「 teams based in California and Texas. His lnstagram account @joeybaseba1112 has more than 24 , 000 followers.

Congress tO urge a much れ 10re aggressive posture against North Korea. "Tragically, after the horrific treatment of Otto Warm- bier and the regime's demonstrated will- ingness tO use American citizens as nego- tiating chips, limiting U. S. citizen travel, and ensuring that such travel iS reviewed and approved ahead oftime, is b0th sen- sible and necessary; ” Democratic Repre- sentative Adam Schiff 0f California says. Along with Republican Representative Joe Wilson of South Carolina, Schiff in- troduced legislation in May t0 stop Amer- icans from traveling tO North Korea for five years. Like the State Department ban, which currently runs only one year, there iS a narrow carve- out for humanitarian work. A floor VOte is expected this year. "lt's a great example 0fCongress and the White House working ⅲ tandem, backing each 0ther up; ” Wilson says. Detention can cost the U. S. govern- rnent millions 0f dollars in terms 0f high- profile diplomatic negotiations and con- sular efforts, says Snyder 0f the Council cn Foreign Relations, and can prevent progress on critical negotiations. Tour- ists and religious advocates have generally posed a greater problem than humanitar- ian workers, who by and large understand the terms of engagement and follow the 1 ・ ules. "I suspect the Trump Administra- tion will tighten those humanitarian con- tacts, and I don't think it is verywise,: ” for- mer ambassador Richardson says. AFTER THE SEPT. 1 BAN was an- nounced, a representative from the U. S. consulate in Shenyang, China, held a town hall in Yanji, China, near the North Korean border, for U. S. citizens whO live in that region. But the meeting provided few details 0f next steps, which have still not been announced by the Trump Administration. "The safety and secu- rity Of U. s. citizens overseas iS one Of our highest priorities," says Ashley Gar- rigus, a spokeswoman for the State De- partment's Bureau Of Consular Affairs. "The travel warning for North Korea is for all U. S. national travelers, regardless oftheir reason for travel. ” The consequences ofviolating the ban alSO remain unclear. The State Depart- ment could revoke a violator's passport, or seek tO prosecute those whO violate the ban—misuse ofa passport is a felony that could result in along prison sentence. (A Department 0fJustice spokesperson declined tO comment on the potential consequences. ) lt is also unclear if dual citizens Will face repercussions for travel- ing tO North Korea on a non-U. S. passport. Even if S01 れ e Americans get excep- tions tO travel, increased sanctions on North Korea have complicated their work. Yoon says he has been waiting eight months for a license from the U. S. Trea- sury SO he can continue plans for a five- story, $ 3 million pediatric rehabilitation department at Pyongyang Medical Uni- versity. lt would be the first for the cam- pus, capable oftreating up t0 200 outpa- tients and 40 inpatients every day, and funded largely by U. S. and South Korean donations. Christian Friends Of Korea has struggled t0 get the right supplies it needs tO make medical cultures and test drug sensitivity. When Linton recently wire d money t0 purchase bicycle s for rural medical personnel, the bank froze the funds, and she has spent weeks trying t0 get them back. "Banks are so afraid of being brought up on violations that they are so inside ofthe legal red line; ” she says. "They don't want their legal department to be tied 叩 dealing with a small humani- tarian organization. Atthe Pyongyang UniversityofScience and Technology, classes are set tO begin on S ept. 4 with the remaining non-American faculty. Americ an schOOl administrators plan t0 leave the compound ⅲ late ' W 印 0 NOTWANT SEE ONE TRAGEDYTURN INTOAMULTITUDE 0 日 G STEPHEN YOON, in a letter tO the State Department August, after making sure that textbooks, finances and f00d supplies are in place for the coming semester. But ifthe Americans are not allowed back in, NichoIs fears the school could become a North Korean project. "The chain for all Western influence would be broken at that point; ” she says ・ Yoon, meanwhile, has been taking his case tO Foggy Bottom. "We dO not want tO see one tragedy turn intO a multitude Of tragedies; ” he wrote in letter tO the State Department, using the acronym for the Democratic People's Republic 0f Korea. 'Humanitarian work in the DPRK re- quires substantial time and effort in building relationships, negotiating work terms and monitoring the implementa- tion Of projects. This requires frequent, if not constant, presence in the DPRK. ” After both growmg up in South Korea, Yoon and his Americanwife Joy met when each moved t0 lllinois t0 study biology at Olivet Nazarene University. Yoonbecame a naturalized U. S. citizen, and when they learned that Christian organizations did work ⅲ North Korea, they decided t0 move there in 2007. He co-founded lgnis Community t0 support families ⅲ North Korea, and his team on the ground now includes 20 Americans, bOth staff and families. Yoon received special permission from the country's then leader Kim Jong ll t0 earn an M. D. and Ph. D. from Pyongyang Medical University, and then permission from KimJong Un t0 develop a spine -rehabilitation program with the Ministry ofPublic Health. "lt t00k long- term engagement tO get permission from DPRK to start our medical programs, Yoon says. "We have that support, but now our U. S. policy is making us not able tO continue tO bring life and hope tO these children. For now, Yoon and his family have de- cided to keep their apartment at the P01- ish embassy in North Korea at a reduced rent, but they will wait in their home in china. Even ifYoon gets special permis- sion tO return tO North Korea tO train 28 doctors this fall, he has heard that his family may not be able t0 join him. "Our cerebral palsy and autism children be- come a second victim Ofthe political ten- sion,: ” Yoon says. "l'm hopeful and pray- ing it will happen, but I am not sure with this great tension that the U. S. and DPRK has. They are talking about war. '' ロ

新 0 れ , his w 1 and theirfour children ⅲ North Korea ⅲ tO deliver millions in aid tO North Korea since 1995 and spends as much as three months a year in the country tO support hepatitis and tuberculosis care centers. About 50 0ther Americans work in North Korea'S Rason Special Economic Zone, near the Russian border, on SOCial entre- preneurship and humanitarian proj ects. There's also a predominately American- run scho 01, the Pyongyang Univers ity 0f Science and Technology, that has brought nearly 70 American professors and staff members each semester. The Americans in North Korea are controversial because they provide ser- vices that indirectly help the North KO- rean regime. But career diplomats say they create a thin but important connec- tion tO the Hermit Kingdom. "They are very dedicated aid workers, they care deeply about the North Korean people; ” former U. S. ambassador to the U. N. Bill Richardson says Of the expatriate com- munity. 'We have no diplomatic con- tact, we have no commercial contact, SO some kind Of humanitarian contact as a potential bridge tO improve the relation- ship would be helpful. ” But that is set tO change. Amid esca- lating military tensions and after the re- cent death of Otto Warmbier—the U. S. student who died after he was detained in North Korea—the Trump Adminis- tration announced in July that U. S. pass- ports will become invalid for travel in, tO or through the country starting on S ept. 1. The offlcial reason for the travel ban is the mounting risk Of arrest and long-term detention 0f し S. citizens" by the Kim regime, but the move could signal that Washington is preparing for relations tO further deteriorate. North Korea contin- ues to hold three U. S. citizens, including two former staff members of the Pyong- yang University 0f Science and rrechnol- ogy, in its political-detention system. The news has prompted concern from the small community Of Americans who have been working in the country, many ofwhom are evangelical Christians, a key part of Trump 's b ase. The very nature of their work is SO sensitive and carefully ne- gotiated that they are Often reluctant tO draw attention tO their projects, though WHEN AMERICAN DOCTOR STEPHEN YOONTHINKS 0F NORTH KOREA, HE DOES NOTTHINK 0 日 A Ⅲ S 胤 M 肛 旧 ORTHETHREATOF NUCLEARWAR. HE REMEMBERSINSTEADA 10 AR -0 [ D GIRLWITH CEREBRAL PALSY, who suffered from spastic quadriplegia that made her unable to stand or sit. Five years ago, she went to Yoon's developmental- disability program at Pyongyang MedicaI University HospitaI, where she received treatments from Yoon and his team oflocal doctors. After almost a year Of exercise therapy and some sur- geries, she walked out ofthe hospital on her own. The event was heralded in North Korean state media as a na- tional victory, but it received no notice in the U. S. where few people even know about the roughly 200 Americans like Yoon who work and live under the rule of Kim Jong Un. CarefuIIy monitored by the regime, they have come and gone for years, dOing educational, medical or infrastructural work, and some- times raising families in a nation that has been offcially at war with the U. S. since 1950. Yoon, 45 , moved to North Korea 10 years ago. "We were able tO convince and convey tO the North Korean government that the kids with disabilities have value and they can be part of society," says Yoon. "I really believe ⅲ our presence. Heidi Linton, a mother of three from Asheville, N. C. , who leads the organization Christian Friends of Korea, has helped 28 TIME September 4 , 2017

the new travel ban has prompted many to break that rule. They say they respect the State D epartment 's national-security concerns but that the cost Of withdraw- ing aid is severe. "The President has tO make a strong stand,: ” says Franklin Gra- ham, whose global aid organization has done work in North Korea for 20 years. But, he adds, "we've got to continue to try tO worlc ” Many ofthe Americans who call North Korea home are pushing the Trump Ad- ministration for new perm1SSion tO re- turn. The State Department may allow limited exceptions, but the scope is not yet clear. "lt's an abhorrent moral alge- bra that has overtaken us, that if moral evil is visited on great numbers, then the plight ofindividuals—and thus [the] work t0 relieve the suffering of individuals— somehow doesn't matter,: ” says RObert Carlin, a former U. S. offcial and behind- the-scenes diplomat during the Clinton, Bush and Obama years. "Have we lost our moral compass? ” THE U. S. —NORTH KOREArelationship has long wavered between delicate and dan- gerous. Although the Korean War ended ⅲ 1953 , leaving more than 1 million North Koreans and 36 , 000 Americans dead, a peace treatywas never signed, and enmity remains. Attempts tO restart relations in the decades since have been short-lived, poisoned by distrust. Time and again, nuclear-nonproliferation negotiations have fallen apart or deals have been bro- ken, with te ns ions spiking, though they have recently receded since North Korea stopped testing missiles in mid-August. that time, starting the first program for alleged crimes against humanity, includ- ing persecution for political crimes with As recently as early August, North KO- multidrug-resistant TB. "These efforts rean state media threatened torching the torture, starvation and forced labor. But are really outliers, in part because they are the U. S. groups are careful t0 respect the mainland U. S. with "an unimaginable sea completely going against the grain 0f the of fire. ” President Trump, meanwhile, body language that both governments are rules, and their focus is service projects. counterthreatened with "fire and fury Christian Friends Of Korea grew out sending t0 their people; ” says SC0tt Sny- of Graham's visit tO North Korea in the like the world has never seen. der, a senior fellow for Korea studies at The quiet U. S. humanitarian effort the Council on Foreign Relations. early 1990S. Linton, the group's execu- in North Korea began as a response tO The new relationships were fragile tive director, traveled tO North Korea in a famine there ⅲ the mid-1990s, which August for a routine visit with a team Of at the start. A century ago, Christianity eight Other Americans, three Norwegians killed hundreds of thousands of people. thrived in the region, and American evan- and an Australian, all volunteers, tO install Groups like UNICEF, Mercy Corps and gelist Billy Graham's late wife Ruth even clean-water systems and continue their World Vision delivered food aid. When attended school ⅲ Pyongyang. Today North Korea's constitution 引 lows for free- hep atitis B tre atment program. LintO n the world's focus shifted away, Christian Often visits the tWO Protestant churches charitie s stuck around and deepened their dom of religion, but the country forbids and the one Cath01ic-heritage church in ties. The Eugene BeII Foundation, which proselytizing. Such subtle distinctions Pyongyang, but she does not proselytize may be lost on an outside world preoccu- was founded by a Southern Presbyterian or preach. Her team ofvolunteers works 舅 minister, began supporting tuberculosis pied with North Korea's outlaw status: in alongside Korean offcials during every 2014 , the U. N. condemned its leaders for treatment efforts in North Korea around 29 PYONGYANG MEDICAL Ⅷ旧 S 胛 HOS 円瓏 } { u れ 10 itaria workers た e the 0 , to 0 れ d も i tO above, have helped Ⅳ or 市 Koreans foryears

trip. Medical treatment decisions are jointly made, and Americans and Koreans install water-distribution lines together. Similarly, Franklin Graham— Billy and Ruth's eldest son and the president ofthe aid organization s amaritan's purse ー has sent 30 teams tO North Korea over the past 20 years. One team was there in July at the request 0f the Korea-America private Exchange Society, an offcial North Korean organization. lt delivered five ambulances, purchased by Samari- tan's purse, tO pediatric hospitals. BOth governments allow the presence Of hu- manitarian workers "tO the extent that it serves their own purposes; ” says ambas- sador Robert King, the special envoy for North Korean human-rights issues dur- ing both 0fPresident Obama's terms. "For the United States, there is abenefit polit- ically. lt sort of softens the image of the United States, it provides information about the outside world to North Korea, which is an extremely isolated place. Perhaps the most prominent operation in North Korea run byAmericans iS a uni- versity for 600 students started by evan- gelical Christians. James Kim, an Amer- ican wh0 immigrated t0 the U. S. 仕 om South Korea, had been involved in food- aid efforts to the country, which briefly got him arrested by authorities ⅲ 1998 on spying charges. He dreamed 0f starting a university that would teach free-market economy and entrepreneurship classes, expose students tO Western thought and generate a peace-building movement. After building a similar school ⅲ YanJ i, China, in the early 1990S , he workedwith a mystery—one taught a monthlong ac- discussion Of politics or religion, and North Korean authorities tO start a sister counting course, the Other did agricul- their courses, like international finance school in Pyongyang ・ lt opened in 2010 tural development. Neither was a regu- management, avoid topic s like sociology and was largely funded by evangelicals lar employee, school offcials say, and they or culture. The same day the travel ban ⅲ the U. S. and South Korea. The Pyong- were not arrested on campus but When was posted, on Aug. 2 , the school's North yang University 0f Science and Technol- they were leaving the country. Korean co-president wrote a letter wel- ogy attracts staffmembers 仕 om the U. S. , Europe and other parts ofthe world, and ln other areas, the ruling regime has coming all foreign professors, their fam- used detention as a point ofinternational ilies and administration staffers, and as- teaches all classes, including soccer, in leverage. ln March, North Korea blocked sured the safety oftheir stay. "We follow English. Graduate students can study Malaysian citizens, including diplomats abroad in Europe. Many students come the rules; ” Nichols says. "We are not going and their families , 仕 om exiting the coun- from North Korea's elite families or are tO be detained. ” But recent history suggests the work try after Kim Jong Nam, Kim Jong Un's chosen by the North Korean Education Ministry. AII students live on a closed has risks. North Korea has detained at half brother, was allegedly assassinated compound outside the city.. The curricu- least 17 Americans ⅲ the past decade, and in Kuala Lumpur's alrport. Theywere re- leasedwhen Malaysian offcials eventually lum, says the school's U. S. director, Norma two staffers from the school are among the three U. S. citizens reportedly still held by agreed to return his body and allow sev- Nich01s, "is designed t0 open their eyes t0 the North Korean government. Authori- eral North Koreans, including suspects in other thoughts and to the world. ” ties charged each with "hostile acts," but the assassination, tO leave Malaysia. Faculty members know the ir limits. Such behavior has led some ⅲ They follow strict rule s prohibiting the the reason for their detention remams 30 TIME September 4 , 2017 pyoNGYÅNG 0 「 st\ENCEÅNDIECHN010GY Nearly 70 American faculty and s members work each semester at the school, which has 600 North Korean students