North Korean tantrum

Prison camp, Gospel balloons

 (Photos courtesy Voice of the Martyrs-Canada)

North Korea (VOM/MNN) ― North Korea is setting a megaphone in front of the saber it's rattling.

On Friday, the North Korean government said it would not be able to guarantee the safety of embassies after April 10, and suggested that Russia, China, and Great Britain consider evacuating their diplomats.

Tensions have been on the rise since the United Nations imposed harsher sanctions following Pyongyang's third nuclear test on Feb. 12. The rogue state expressed fury over ongoing U.S.-South Korean military exercises and threatened a nuclear strike against the U.S. It also scrapped the Korean War armistice, began moving missiles, and restarted a plutonium reactor capable of producing more fuel for nuclear bombs.

One concern is that North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-un, has something to prove. He's still tightening his grip on power and is something of a military unknown.

While the situation appears to be serious, governments are playing down the rhetoric from North Korea, assuming it represents yet another tantrum by a regime starving for attention, legitimacy, and economic aid. Spokesman for the Voice of the Martyrs USA Todd Nettleton describes the typical pattern. "The world community makes some concessions. They deliver some food or they lower the sanctions or they deliver some oil, and the crisis magically goes away until the next time North Korea needs something."
Nettleton connected on Friday with their contacts working with North Korean Christians. According to them, "When North Korea needs something, when they need concessions, they create a crisis. They do a lot of saber rattling and a lot of press release about how terrible it's going to be for all the aggressors against them."

The situation is still fairly rhetorical. Nettleton says they're taking their cues from their national partners, some of whom are North Korean defectors. He goes on to say that because the poverty and hunger situation is desperate, it's unlikely the threats are little more than talk. He explains, "The surrounding nations are comfortable with the status quo. Maybe at times it's a little irritating, but it is seen as a better alternative than to see the regime fall and North Korea fall into complete chaos with those surrounding nations left to clean up the mess."

North Korea is the worst perpetrator of persecution against Christians in the world. Christians are tortured, imprisoned, and murdered. Private, non-state-sanctioned religious activity is prohibited. Anyone discovered engaging in clandestine religious activity is subject to arrest, torture, or even public execution.

As many as 100,000 believers are thought to worship secretly. Possessing a Bible, saying the words God or Jesus, and meeting together are all offences punishable by death. VOM reports estimate that of the hundreds of thousands incarcerated in labor and concentration camps, about 30,000 are Christians.

Yet there are still requests for help. VOM supports Gospel radio broadcasts into North Korea and participates in balloon launches that carry the hope of Christ into the country. "Pray that North Korean Christians will remain faithful, that they will remain encouraged. The other thing we can pray is for the delivery of Gospel materials, for the these balloons, for these radio broadcasts, for other Gospel work that is going on into North Korea, that the Gospel message will get in there, that it will be received, and that there will be fruit."

North Korea must be taken seriously says Open Doors

North Korea is a "real and clear danager" says U.S. official.

North Korea (MNN) ― North Korean church leaders are asking Christians worldwide to pray for their country in the midst of war threats and preparation by country officials.

"Prayer for our beleaguered brothers and sisters in Christ is more important than ever," reports Open Doors, an organization that supports persecuted Christians in 60 countries.

In a secret letter that was smuggled out of the country, the underground Christians describe the war-like atmosphere.

"We are to meet the decisive battle with a gun in one hand and a hammer in the other," summarized a Christian leader about the message that the North Korean people recently received from the "high command."

"The military army, navy, air force troops, strategic rocket troops, the red guards and the red youth guards are already in combat mode. Urgent meetings are being held everywhere, regardless if it is day or night. At those meetings, officials make decisions on what needs to happen in case war breaks out. Everyone, including women, needs to be combat ready."

According to Open Doors sources, many cars on the road are covered with camouflage nets, and soldiers carry guns and wear hats with camouflage dried branches.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un released a statement to his people, saying that "if war breaks out because of the actions of the U.S. and puppet South Korean's unpardonable behavior, they will end up with a disgraceful downfall and our people will greet a brilliant new day of reunification. The day has come to show off the power of 'Military First' and great nation to the whole world."

However, Christians and other citizens fear war and its consequences.

"Many people are in a hurry to purchase emergency food supplies and daily goods, just in case. The prices of goods, including food, are skyrocketing," says one believer in North Korea.

North Korean Christians are grateful for their foreign counterparts and request their urgent prayers.

"I would like to thank the many brothers and sisters around the world for their continuous love and support," says the Christian believer. "We know that our journey will not be an easy one, but we are sure that our faith, desperate hope, and passionate desire will some day bear fruit. Nt matter how difficult life is for us, we never blame or complain about our circumstances. God has promised us in the Bible that if we seek His Kingdom first, all other things will be given to us as well. Please pray for us."

Jerry Dykstra, a spokesman for Open Doors USA, adds: "Beneath the surface of the all the rhetoric of war and the launch of nuclear missiles are the suffering and persecution of Christians in North Korea, whose government is the No. 1 persecutor of Christians for 11 years in a row according to the Open Doors 2013 World Watch List.

"We must respond now to the Christian leaders' request to pray for them. Pray for Kim Jung-Un, that God will work in his heart and he will pursue peace and not war. Pray for Christians who are put in even more danger due to war preparations. Pray that believers will find food to feed their families. Finally, pray that no matter what happens, Christians will remain strong in their faith."

UN passes more sanctions again North Korea

North Korea (MNN) ― Following last month's nuclear test, North Korea is spewing new threats of a first-strike nuclear attack because it claims the United States is pushing to start a nuclear war against the country. This fiery rhetoric comes on the heels of the United Nation's approval of sweeping sanctions against the isolated nation.

Todd Nettleton with Voice of the Martyrs says, "These sanctions I think do have an effect because they do involve some commercial things and banking things and financial things; yes, they do have an effect. Is it something that's going to really change the direction of North Korea? It's hard to picture that happening."

While the sanctions may be meaningless for real change in North Korea, it does signal some change, says Nettleton. "It shows that China is perhaps losing patience with the North Korean regime. So these sanctions, and the fact that China cooperated with them, may be sending them a message."

Nettleton says Christians continue to face incredible oppression in a nation that's considered the worst place on earth to be a Christian. "Christians are sort of singled out for the worst persecution or the worst situations in North Korea. One of the things I like to tell people is that everyone in North Korea is oppressed, but the Christians are singled out for the very worst oppression."

Nettleton also says, "If they know you're a Christian they've already arrested you. If you're a Christian and the government finds out about it, you are arrested. You're taken to a concentration camp."

About the only thing Christians can do is pray. "Pray for a change in government that treats all of its people better: not only the Christians, but all of the people of North Korea. That's hard to imagine, but obviously we serve a God who can do amazing things."

Voice of the Martyrs is doing everything possible to encourage secret Christians, and they do it in unique ways: "Balloon launches that float over into North Korea and come down. That's a significant way of getting the Gospel message [into North Korea]. Actually, last year we were able to deliver 50,000 New Testaments."

New North Korean leader more oppressive, says Christians

North Korea's new leader Kim Jong-un 

North Korea (MNN/CAM) ― The uncertainty surrounding North Korea's new leader Kim Jong-un is less uncertain now. According to Christian Aid Mission, the grandson of Kim Il Sung is making life difficult for Christians, which is far different than 100 years ago.

In the early 1900s, Pyongyang was referred to as the "Jerusalem of the East." Christianity had taken root in the capital of present-day North Korea, and some 3,000 churches were established and growing.

A century later, the spiritual landscape is far different. North Korea, also known as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, is considered to be the world's most hostile nation to Christianity.

Persecution of Christians began in 1910 when Japan seized control of the Korean peninsula and worsened with the rise to power of Kim Il Sung's Communist regime at the end of World War II. The oppressive dynasty continued with his son, and more recently with his grandson, Kim Jong-un.

"The North Korean people feel that Kim Jong-un is making life even harder for Christians than his father and grandfather did," reports one of Christian Aid's missionary contacts who works in the country.

Today there are an estimated 100,000 to 400,000 Christians in North Korea. Despite ever-present dangers of imprisonment, brutality, and death, faithful followers of Jesus Christ remain committed to sharing the gospel in the midst of very difficult circumstances.

"Mr. E" leads three underground churches in North Korea, with a total of 87 members. He became a Christian in 2006. The following year he was arrested by the police and charged with espionage for helping North Korean refugees escape across the border into China. The penalty for his crime against the government: 18 years in prison.

Another underground church leader provided money to help Mr. E, and his sentence was reduced to five years. He was released and returned home to his family in 2012.

At the time of his arrest, however, Mr. E's home was confiscated by the government. He currently lives in his mother's one-room house with seven people. His desire is to have a house with a large room so he can have the space to host house church meetings.

Mr. E already is seeing the fruits of his labors as the network of believers and house churches increases. He travels about 80 miles to lead worship services and meetings.

"He is now fully active and more energetic in the ministry," said the missionary contact. "He has become a good partner in planting underground home churches."

Christian ministry leaders in North Korea are encouraged as God's love shines forth, bringing light to the darkness and transforming hearts. Whatever the political situation, they can experience spiritual freedom through the redeeming power of Jesus Christ.

Prayer requests:
• For Mr. E to have a motorcycle so he can travel more easily to his circuit of underground churches.
• For wise, Spirit-filled, bold missionaries, and the rapid expansion of underground churches and networks.
• For spiritual encouragement for believers who are enduring extremely harsh prison conditions.
• For a wide dissemination of Bibles. Pray that believers will have a clear understanding of God's Word.
• For Christians to know how to work within the North Korea system to evangelize, build up believers, and plant churches.
• Though missionaries and Christians know a lot about being secretive and avoiding arrest, ultimately they need God's protection from the authorities. Pray that they will be able to minister undetected.

Christians Still Suffering Intense Persecution in North Korea One Year After Leadership Change

Leader Kim Jong-Un Sending More Spies into China to Search for Christians Helping Refugees

SANTA ANA, Calif., Dec. 4, 2012 /Christian Newswire/ -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un allows women to wear pants in public, likes to see Mickey Mouse and his friends perform, and experiments with light agricultural reform, but he hasn't made any essential changes in the first year after his father Kim Jong-Il's death.

In fact, he has been preoccupied with building his image and tightening security. He increased the number of spies in China who search for Christians and organizations helping North Korean refugees. The use of television, radio and cell phones by North Koreans has also been thoroughly investigated and Christians report no changes in their situation of being isolated from the outside world.

2012 must have been a busy year for North Korea's "propaganda department." The "Dear Leader" Kim Jong-Il announced three years ago that in 2012 North Korea would once again be a strong and prosperous country. He died on Dec. 17, 2011 and left the country to Kim Jong-Un, who most likely is in his late twenties. The regime tried to model its new leader after his grandfather, Kim Il-Sung. His appearance and his public speeches mirror North Korea's "eternal president." There are differences. Kim Jong-Un's attendance of performances with Disney figures, female musicians in miniskirts and an orchestra playing music from a Rocky movie were widely televised. However, the dream of a strong and prosperous nation is still far from reality.

The number of trained North Korean spies in China is growing. They are searching for human rights activists and Christians helping North Korean refugees. Border patrols have been taken over by the National Security Agency, which put pressure on captured smugglers to disclose information about Christians helping defectors.

In at least one region in North Korea, but possibly more, citizens are pressured to confess their crimes. A North Korean person told a reporter from DailyNK.com, "They are gathering people by factory, school and people's units and telling them to write letters confessing precisely what foreign media they have viewed. When they give you the paper they warn you, saying they know everything anyway so just write it down -- when, where and what you saw, where and from whom you got it and your impression of it."

Open Doors' Christian contacts inside North Korea have reported no changes in their circumstances, indicating there are no signs that Kim Jong-Un will improve freedom of religion in the communist country. In fact, some arrested Christians were tortured and then released in order to betray their brothers and sisters or to serve as bait.

"This is extremely tragic," says a Open Doors co-worker involved in ministry among North Koreans. "It's so dangerous to help Christians who have been released by the government. Some have been tortured so severely they cannot walk anymore. Often we cannot help them because that would bring too much risk to us. We can pray for them. We know that Jesus will not leave them, nor forsake them."

Jerry Dykstra, Open Doors USA Media Relations Director, states: "Scrutiny of the estimated 200,000 to 400,000 brave underground Christians inside North Korea has increased during the last year. Of the estimated 150,000 to 200,000 people living under horrific conditions in prisons, there are 50,000 to 70,000 Christians. Also, many North Koreans are chronically malnourished and unemployed.

"Christians who escape to China from North Korea are hunted down and expatriated to their country where they face prison and often death. Christian groups which help the refugees are also under more scrutiny. But we know that Christians living under the most brutal regime in the world will be celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ this Christmas -- most of them only in their hearts."

Open Doors' focus has been to strengthen and support believers inside North Korea, which has topped the Open Doors World Watch List of the 50 worst persecutors of Christians for 10 years in a row. Open Doors' ministry in North Korea is carried out in secrecy under highly dangerous conditions.

An estimated 100 million Christians worldwide suffer interrogation, arrest and even death for their faith in Christ, with millions more facing discrimination and alienation. Open Doors supports and strengthens believers in the world's most difficult areas through Bible and Christian literature distribution, leadership training and assistance, Christian community development, prayer and presence ministry and advocacy on behalf of suffering believers. To partner with Open Doors USA, call toll free at 888-5-BIBLE-5 (888-524-2535) or go to our Website at www.OpenDoorsUSA.org. 

'They're like soldiers that are dropped behind enemy lines

North Korea (MNN) ― When you hear the words,concentration camp, what comes to mind? Walking skeletons? Piles of dead bodies? You might think these camps ended with World War II, but they're all over North Korea.

"On the one hand, it is amazing that the international community continues to turn a blind eye to this reality," said Eric Foley with Seoul USA. "On the other hand, it is equally amazing that the North Korean underground church considers this their mission field."

Would you be able to see conditions like torture and starvation as a testing ground for your faith? North Korean Christians do. They don't beg believers on the outside for freedom or for action against their Communist government.

"What the North Korean Church says is, 'Pray that we will be found faithful in every circumstance in which the Lord places us,'" said Foley.

Satellite imagery depicts Camp 14.
 (Images found in a 2003 publication of the
 Commission for Human Rights in North Korea)

In These Are The Generations (a book highlighting the sufferings of a North Korean Christian family), a former inmate describes North Korean gulags as "the best seminary training a Christian can get."

"He thinks of the North Korean concentration camps as…the gates of Hell," said Foley. "And they claim that promise that the gates of Hell shall not prevail against the advance of Christians on a mission."

North Korea tops Open Doors USA's World Watch list, a compilation of 50 countries where persecution of Christians for religious reasons is worst.

Why does it rank over regions like the Islamic Middle East and communist China? Crimes in these areas usually consist of evangelism or unregistered church activity, but in North Korea, the offense is Christianity.

"The crime is simply being Christian," Foley said. Any display can be deadly. "Everything from bowing your head to possessing a Bible, all of those things are considered the highest offense against the State. All of them will land you in a concentration camp."

Of the estimated 100,000 believers in North Korea, a third of them are detained in concentration camps. But, Foley says, they are free in Christ.

"There is a difference between freedom of religion and freedom in Christ," he said. "And freedom in Christ, as Mr. Bae points out in the book, can't be taken away by the government. Freedom in Christ exists in as pure a form in North Korea as it does in the United States.

"Now, the cost of being a believer," he adds, "is much higher."

2 Corinthians 3:17 says, "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." Foley questioned the reliance of many western believers on freedom of religion instead of spiritual freedom in Christ.

"If freedom of religion were taken away from us, would we still experience the same freedom in Christ?" Foley asked. "The story of Mr. Bae's family would tell us, 'Yes that is still possible.'"

Book uncovers horrors hidden by Communist government

North Korean Prison Camps hold 150 -200 k
 human beings in bad conditions

North Korea (MNN) ― Spotted easily on satellite images but heavily denied by the government, North Korean prison camps harbor horrors equal to the Holocaust. A biography released earlier this month profiles the only man to escape from a "total control zone" camp, Shin Dong-hyuk. After spending a few weeks on bestseller lists, Escape from Camp 14 is drawing international attention to North Korea.

As North Korea faces human rights criticisms, Open Doors USAdraws attention to the plight of North Korean believers. The isolated Asian nation ranks #1 on the Open Doors 2012 World Watch List: a compilation of 50 countries where believers face the most religious persecution. An estimated 40,000 to 70,000 Christians suffer in total control zone internment camps, where people labeled as "wrong thinkers" are sent to die.

Shin Dong-hyuk was born in this same type of camp in 1982. In his book, Shin admits reporting his mother and brother to prison guards because they were going to escape without him. As a result, they were hung in front of Shin and other prisoners, and he was also tortured as punishment for their "crime."

Shin told American journalist Blaine Harden, author of Escape from Camp 14, "I wanted people to know this is the kind of children they are raising right now in these camps: people whose loyalty is to the guards and who will do anything to get more food."

Conditions in North Korean prison camps are similar to camps under the unforgettable regime of Hitler, Stalin and Mao. "Political prisoners" essentially work themselves to death while being subjected to severe physical and psychological torture. Open Doors reported they work 18-20 hours each day, with little to no food. To supplement their rations, prisoners consume anything edible, including snakes, rats, insects, roots, and grass.

In April, the U.S.-based Committee for Human Rights in North Korea released a report based on interviews with 60 former prisoners and guards. The 200-page report describes prison camps located mainly in northern mountainous regions behind barbed wire and electric fences -- fences Shin climbed through to escape, using his best friend's body as insulation against the deadly current.

In 2009, North Korea told the UN Human Rights Council, "The term 'political prisoner' does not exist in the [Democratic People's Republic of Korea] DPRK's vocabulary…the so-called political prisoners' camps do not exist." According to the April report, former prisoners were able to identify their work sites, execution grounds, and other landmarks using satellite imagery available through Google Earth.

Greg Scarlatoiu, Executive Director of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, said that while North Korea tries to hide the horrendous realities of Pyongyang, over 30,000 North Korean defectors have fled the country -- up from 3,000 defectors ten years ago.

Pray for imprisoned believers in North Korea. Ask God to sustain them, and pray that they might be released. Pray for changes that can only be brought about by the Gospel.

North Korean leaders shaping new leader's image

(Images courtesy of Voice of the Martyrs USA)

North Korea (MNN) ― North Korea's new leader has been photographed smiling. He has a wife. He even rode a roller coaster. Don't be fooled, says Voice of the Martyrs USA spokesman Todd Nettleton. 

"Photographically, he is drawing comparisons--not to his father, Kim Jong Il, but to his grandfather, Kim Il Sung, the founder of North Korea."

What's happening in North Korea is cultivation of an image. "He's doing that in his hair style, he's doing that in his clothing. For us, looking on from the outside, we don't necessarily think that immediately; but to the people of North Korea who ultimately are his audience, they would see that instantly."

A modern face to go with modern ideas? According to contacts working with the Voice of the Martyrs, it's pretty much the opposite. Nettleton explains the connection being made. "This is Kim Il Sung's grandson. This is the founder of our country coming back and taking control and leading us to prosperity and greatness."

The reality is: North Korea faces even more than usual food shortages when drought was followed by devastating floods. Without China's help, mass starvation is likely. Yet, that has done little to challenge the ideology that has shrouded North Korea in secrecy. Nettleton explains "The government is built on the idea of 'juche,' which is their word for 'self-reliance' and really, it is a religious system that is designed to deify the leaders."

The other thing to remember is that the people behind the scenes have not changed. The generals who installed Kim Jong Un as leader are still controlling the strings. Promises of reform are misleading, at best.

Nettleton doesn't think much will change for Christians, either. "When you say 'I'm a Christian,' it's not just the wrong religion: you're really undermining the government. It's really a treasonous thing to say 'I'm not following juche. I'm not worshiping our leaders. I'm following Jesus Christ.'"

Already the most hostile country in which to live and practice the Christian faith, there are still reports of Christians being arrested. According to Open Doors, it's thought that at least a quarter of the nation's believers are languishing in labor camps for their refusal to worship founder Kim Il-Sung's cult.

Anyone with "another god" is automatically persecuted, which is why the 200,000-400,000 Christians in this country must remain deeply underground. Traditional discipleship and evangelism methods do not exist in the totalitarian regime.

However, Nettleton says they've found other creative ways to float the Gospel into North Korea...literally. "We have been sending balloons into North Korea for decades. It's based on some of the technology developed for weather balloons. We can now actually attach a full New Testament to a balloon to float it across into North Korea."

Although many crews pick up the balloons and dispose of the literature, Nettleton says it's still working. "We are hearing stories of these balloons and these New Testaments reaching people and changing lives." Keep praying that the seeds of God's Word will be planted deeply and take root. 

Helping hand, safe houses give hope in North Korea

(Photo courtesy Open Doors)

North Korea (ODM/MNN) ―For the past decade, North Korea has been the world's most hostile country in which to live and practice the Christian faith.

Open Doors USA notes that nearly a quarter of the Christians in the country are believed to be serving out sentences in labor camps. By the end of his life, Kim Il-Sung saw himself as a deity, setting into motion a cult following under his sons. Those who did not participate were killed or sent for re-education in the labor camps.

Meanwhile, poverty is the reality the rest of the country bears. Roughly ten million inhabitants are malnourished, with thousands eating only grass and bark.

According to Open Doors, half the population lives in the north, close to China, where family-based networks of house churches exist in significant numbers. Last year, Open Doors distributed over 45,000 pieces of Christian materials in North Korea and secretly trained approximately 5,000 North Korean believers.

In addition, around 1,000 refugees and their families received help through Open Doors' safe houses across the border in China. Many North Koreans caught crossing the borders into China are returned, likely to face death sentences or worse--the punishment of family members down to the third generation.

That's where safe houses come into play. Open Doors can now provide over 1,500 North Korean refugees safe haven. Those who successfully cross can find safety, medical attention, food, and most importantly: spiritual nourishment.

What's more, Open Doors says that because not everyone escaping from North Korea is a Christian, their ministry partners can share the Gospel with hundreds of people. 

As more people began fleeing North Korea, the need for more safe houses became clear. Open Doors asked for help raising $66,000 for new safe houses to meet the growing demand. The good news is that they not only met that goal, but exceeded it.  

This additional amount allows Open Doors to move quickly, providing Bibles, training, advocacy, and other support where Christians need it most.

North Korea trades launch for lunch

Cover photo by Babel Travel. Story
photo courtesy Open Doors USA

North Korea (MNN) ― The Pentagon says the U.S. has suspended food aid to North Korea over undeterred plans to launch a rocket.

The reclusive country claims it is launching a weather satellite, but South Korea fears the launch is a disguised ballistic missile test.  

The loss of food aid complicates an already desperate situation for the average citizen in North Korea. A UNICEF assessment in January concluded that 80% of the children in North Korea are malnourished. The country faces its worst food shortage in a decade, with six million people at risk.

Government food rations for some have been cut to a tenth of what is needed to keep people alive. It's against that backdrop that word has leaked out about continued preparations for the annual "Day of the Sun" celebrations, a move that President and CEO of Open Doors USA Carl Moeller finds troubling.

He says, "We've come to expect horrible things from the North Korean government, but the fact that the super elite of this country continue to bask in luxury and wealth while the vast majority of the country suffers horrible poverty and starvation is a situation that almost defies imagination." 

An unnamed Open Doors partner shared the government spin: "Glorify this year 2012 as a year of proud victory, a year when an era of prosperity is unfolding, true to the instructions of the great General Kim Jong-Il."

It was this New Year's message that ushered in Kim Jong-Un's regime in 2012. The peak of planned festivities will take place on April 15th, the 100th birth anniversary of Kim Il-Sung. The preparations for the celebrations have already caused much suffering for the people--and the end is not in sight. Moeller says scrutiny is especially close now. "I think it's important for people to realize that about 1% of the population of North Korea actually is in a labor camp right now, which is a staggering figure if you think about that in terms of what those labor camps mean. I can't picture anything other than just a charade of horror with these people being forced to celebrate the birth of this horrible dictator."

To the outside world, the picture will be one of prosperity, color, and a vibrant new leader for the Republic. The "Arirang" mass performances will be bigger than usual. They're designed for two purposes: to impress the world and to give honor to (or even worship) the leaders. No doubt, there will be a large emphasis on the glorification of Kim Jong-Un, who assumed power after his father Kim Jong-Il died in December.

The celebrations will not only take place in Pyongyang, but throughout the country citizens have to participate in events to commemorate the leaders. Those events vary from playing games to local dance performances.  

North Korea also announced that people could expect a "generous gift from the Respected Comrade Kim Jong-Un."

Another celebration will be  the 4th Party Conference, which is scheduled to be held in mid-April. Kim Jong-Un will most likely receive some new, important positions in the state apparatus.

Celebrating the anniversary and the "state's progress" is mandatory. Aside from the normal cleanup, households have to contribute 20,000 won for the state's "total mobilization period." The average worker receives a monthly salary of only 2,000 won. A US dollar, on the black market in North Korea, is worth 5,300 won.

The funds will likely go to the feasts and celebrations at the highest levels of society, with the poor receiving little more than an extra food ration. Moeller says, "I shudder to think what the impact of the celebration is going to do economically for the country as this money is literally going to be wasted."  

As preparations reach a fevered pitch, one church leader writes: "It is very difficult to speak our minds, even to our friends and family. There is a good chance we will be arrested if we speak freely."

The North Korean Church deeply appreciates the prayer of their foreign brothers and sisters during these very difficult weeks. Moeller says they're encouraging a show of solidarity. "We're calling on Christians in the West to have a day of fasting and prayer on April 15. That is the day that this Day of the Sun is going to take place. It's really important for us as Christians to show our solidarity with the believers in that country by praying for them and taking a day off of food for remembrance of the suffering of the Korean people."

Out of the bleakness comes hope. Despite the scrutiny and the increasing volatility of the government, Moeller says the Gospel is still reaching people. "We have had great reports from coworkers who are talking about the remaining hunger, the passion of the Christians in that country--the passion for spiritual sustenance."

That, he notes, is the paradox of Christ. "We know that the church is growing in North Korea. We also know that it's horribly persecuted. Persecution is actually an indicator that the church is growing and that the church is growing is going to inevitably produce persecution."

We'll keep you updated about how you can participate in the April 15 vigil. For now, check our Featured Links section for more on Open Doors.

Human Rights Watchdog Condemns the Repatriation of North Korean Refugees by China

By Michael Ireland
Senior International Correspondent, ASSIST News Service

NEW MALDEN, SURREY, UK (ANS) -- A UK-based Christian humanitarian watchdog has condemned China’s forcible repatriation of at least 41 North Korean refugees, a decision that disregards international refugee conventions and violates international law.

Chistian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) www.csw.org.uk  says the refugees face detention, torture and even execution as illegal border-crossers upon their return to North Korea, where the regime takes a dim view of defectors. In 2010, North Korea made the crime of defection a “crime of treachery against the nation.” In a media update, CSW says that under North Korea’s new leader, Kim Jong Un, the penalties have become harsher.

“Border guards have been ordered to shoot anyone escaping across the frontier to China. In January he announced that the penalty for defecting during the official period of mourning for his father, Kim Jong-il, is the execution of the defector’s entire famil,” CSW reported.

CSW explained that international law prohibits the forcible repatriation, either directly or indirectly, of any individuals to a country where they are at risk of facing persecution, torture or death.

CSW stated that in 1988 China ratified the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, which prohibits the forcible return of people to states where they face a substantial risk of being tortured. China is also a state party to the UN Refugee Convention.

CSW went on to report that despite its obligations under these conventions, China has prevented the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) from access to North Koreans in China and considers all undocumented North Koreans as economic migrants, rather than as asylum-seekers. Furthermore, China signed a co-operation agreement with North Korea in 1986 that obliges it to prevent illegal border crossings.

CSW said there are reports that a number of other North Korean refugees have been detained by China and also face repatriation.

CSW’s Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas, speaking in the news release, said: "China's policy of forcibly repatriating North Korean refugees is in flagrant violation of international law, which includes the principle of 'non-refoulement'.

“China claims these people are economic migrants, not refugees, but due to the consequences they face upon return to North Korea, all these people -- whether they fled for economic or political or religious reasons -- count as 'refugees sur place' under the UN's definition. Even those who fled for primarily economic reasons did so because of the regime's economic policies which are inflicting severe poverty and hunger on its people.”

Thomas added: “Whether they fled in search of food or in search of freedom, China should give North Koreans safe passage to a third country rather than sending them back to a dire fate that involves almost certain imprisonment and severe torture, and possible death.

“As a major world power, China needs to know that if it wants to be respected, respect must be earned, and with power comes responsibility. We urge China to desist from any further repatriations, and we call on Kim Jong Un's regime in North Korea not to inflict on these people the punishments that have been threatened."

Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) is a Christian organization working for religious freedom through advocacy and human rights, in the pursuit of justice.

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For further information or to arrange interviews please contact Kiri Kankhwende, Press Officer at Christian Solidarity Worldwide on +44 (0)20 8329 0045 / +44 (0) 78 2332 9663, emailkiri@csw.org.uk  or visit www.csw.org.uk  .

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** Michael Ireland is the Senior International Correspondent for ANS. He is an international British freelance journalist who was formerly a reporter with a London (United Kingdom) newspaper and has been a frequent contributor to UCB UK, a British Christian radio station. While in the UK, Michael traveled to Canada and the United States, Albania,Yugoslavia, Holland, Germany,and Czechoslovakia. He has reported for ANS from Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Israel, Jordan, China,and Russia. Michael's volunteer involvement with ASSIST News Service is a sponsored ministry department -- 'Michael Ireland Media Missionary' (MIMM) -- of A.C.T. International of P.O.Box 1649, Brentwood, TN 37024-1649, at: Artists in Christian Testimony (A.C.T.) International where you can make a donation online under 'Donate' tab, then look for 'Michael Ireland Media Missionary' under 'Donation Category' to support his stated mission of 'Truth Through Christian Journalism.' Michael is a member in good standing of the National Writers Union, Society of Professional Journalists, Religion Newswriters Association, Evangelical Press Association and International Press Association. If you have a news or feature story idea for Michael, please contact him at: ANS Senior International Reporter

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North Korea to release prisoners, but spots may be filled with Christians

North Korea (ODM/MNN) ―North Korea has announced it will release an unspecified number of prisoners starting today.

The amnesty is in commemorative honor of deceased leaders Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il, who would have been turning 100 and 70, respectively, this year.

Open Doors, USA reports that it is not unusual for North Korea to release prisoners for a leader's birthday, but general amnesties used to be granted twice a year until 2005. After that, only occasionally have prisoners been released before they have served their sentences.

It is still unclear as to how many prisoners will be released, but it's certain that only "re-educated" prisoners will be granted amnesty--prisoners who have been in a re-education camp for several years and have performed well in their tasks and in the mandatory ideology classes.

Christian prisoners will almost certainly not be released. People in political labor camps will never be released because they are labeled as "incurable." Those camps are full of politically-active people, refugees who are suspected to have been in contact with South Koreans, and ideological opponents such as Christians.

The prisoner release in North Korea is a bittersweet event. It's good news for those who will leave, but prisoners make up the bulk of North Korea's labor force. Therefore, as prisoners are released, others will need to be arrested to fill their spots. It would not be the first time that the police are ordered to increase the number of arrests. Those arrested could easily include Christians.

These prison camps have been described as torturous.

"I was in a small camp, not for my Christian activities, but because I was arrested in China," one young Christian told Open Doors. "Every day someone died, and I was forced to take the person outside the camp and bury him or her."

Another Christian spent several years in the most infamous camp, Yodok, a place he describes as "a living mass grave. The whole system made me desperate. I saw people dying of hunger and sickness. I saw executions. But one day we had to assemble in a big hall, and it was made known that in honor of the birthday of one of the leaders, a few prisoners would be released for good behavior. At that moment, I made the decision that I would be a model prisoner and I would survive this. I knew that I would have to stay at least three to five years in Yodok in order to be considered for release. I determined not to make any mistakes."

More than 1% of the total North Korean population wakes up in a prison or labor camp each day. The number of Christians in the political camps is estimated at 40,000 to 70,000.

North Korea is ranked the #1 persecutor of Christians by the Open Doors 2012 World Watch List of the 50 worst persecutors of believers. It was the 10th straight time North Korea has been ranked No. 1.

Pray for Christians during this amnesty. Pray that believers might be released and be safe from arrests. Pray that no matter what happens, the Gospel will not be silenced in North Korea. 

North Korea’s leader will not last long, says Kim Jong-un’s brother

By Dan Wooding
Founder of ASSIST Ministries

BEIJING, CHINA (ANS) -- “The eldest son of North Korea's late leader Kim Jong-il has predicted the regime would soon fail, with or without reforms, according to a new book that the author says is based on emails and interviews with Kim Jong-nam.”

Kim Jong-un salutes during his father Kim Jong-il’s memorial service in Pyongyang (Photograph: North Korea TV/AFP/Getty Images)

This extraordinary statement was made in a story by Jonathan Watts and Tania Branigan in Beijing for the UK-based newspaper, The Guardian (www.guardian.co.uk).

The journalists said that the book says that Kim Jong-nam – who has never met the new leader, his half-brother Kim Jong-un – described the dynastic succession as “a joke to the outside world”, and said even his father had originally opposed the hereditary transfer of power.

“The Kim Jong-un regime will not last long,” Kim Jong-nam is said to have written, forecasting a power struggle. “Without reforms, North Korea will collapse, and when such changes take place the regime will collapse.”

Kim Jong-nam added: “I think we will see valuable time lost as the regime sits idle fretting over whether it should pursue reforms or stick to the present political structure.”

Kim Jong-nam, the eldest son of Kim Jong-il, says of his half-brother and the new leader of North Korea: ‘Kim Jong-un is still just a nominal figure’ (Photo: Joongang Sunday/AFP/Getty Images)

The journalists went on to say that the claims emerge in a book by Yoji Gomi, a journalist with Tokyo Shimbun, who said he exchanged emails with Kim Jong-nam over seven years. The date of the remarks on the regime is unclear.

Gomi, who lived for years in Seoul and Beijing, said he met Kim three times in total, once in 2004 and twice in 2011.

“He gave me a very good impression. He's very gentle and friendly,” Gomi said.

“We exchanged emails over some time and when I suggested compiling our exchanges as a book, he agreed. At first he wanted publication to be delayed, but when I said we ought to go ahead because of everything that is happening in North Korea right now, he said that was OK. I don't feel that he has any ambition to become leader of North Korea, but he wants to contribute to improving the situation in the country. He travels a great deal, but his base is in Macau.”

The story added, “A publicist for the Bungei Shunju publishing company said the book would be published shortly.

Dan Wooding and Dr. David Cho, who led the team that Wooding was part of into North Korea, pictured besides huge statue of Kim Il-sung in Pyongyang

“Kim Jong-nam has previously offered relatively outspoken if brief remarks on the North to journalists who have tracked him down, but these reported messages go much further. Experts on North Korea cautioned that it was impossible to verify the details unless or until Kim Jong-nam confirmed he had written the emails.”

They concluded by saying that in one message, Kim Jong-nam remarked: “I'm concerned how Jong-un, who merely resembles my grandfather [former North Korean leader Kim Il-sung], will be able to satisfy the needs of North Koreans.

“Kim Jong-un is still just a nominal figure and the members of the power elite will be the ones in actual power.”

Note from Dan Wooding: Having once been to North Korea on a reporting trip, I find this information quite intriguing and an amazing look behind the secretive curtain of this mysterious land. Only time will tell if this turn out to be true. In the meantime, let us continue to pray for the many suffering Christians in North Korea who are in the numerous concentration camps there. Once again, Open Doors, in its World Watch List, has named North Korea as the World’s Worst Persecutor of Christians for the ninth straight year.

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Dan Wooding, 71, is an award winning British journalist now living in Southern California with his wife Norma, to whom he has been married for 48 years. They have two sons, Andrew and Peter, and six grandchildren who all live in the UK. He is the founder and international director of ASSIST (Aid to Special Saints in Strategic Times) and the ASSIST News Service (ANS) and was, for ten years, a commentator, on the UPI Radio Network in Washington, DC. He now hosts the weekly “Front Page Radio” show on KWVE in Southern California which is also carried throughout the United States. The program is also aired in Great Britain on Calvary Chapel Radio UK and also in Belize and South Africa. Besides this, Wooding is a host for His Channel Live, which is carried via the Internet to some 192 countries and also provides a regular commentary for Worship Life Radio on KWVE. You can follow Dan Wooding on Facebook under his name there or at ASSIST News Service. He is the author of some 44 books, one of which is his autobiography, “From Tabloid to Truth”, which is published by Theatron Books. To order a copy, press this link. Wooding, who was born in Nigeria of British missionary parents, has also recently released his first novel “Red Dagger” which is available this link.

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North Korea: Seven underground churches raided

By Mark Ellis
Senior Correspondent, ASSIST News Service

LOS ANGELES (ANS) -- Since the unexpected death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il December 17th, and the succession to power of his third son, Kim Jong-un, the underground Christian church has faced increased persecution.

Kim Jong-un surrounded by military leaders (source: AP)

“Three weeks ago seven underground churches got exposed,” says Thomas Kim, executive director of Cornerstone Ministries, which is actively involved in serving the church in North Korea. “It’s been very difficult for the last month and I think it’s going to continue,” he says.

The North Korean leadership apparently fears the kind of insurrection that swept other communist regimes and is now sweeping the Middle East. “They are scared there will be an uprising,” Kim notes. “They are scared by the expansion of the Christian faith because Christians will die for their faith.”

The old guard surrounding Kin Jong-un are anxious for a smooth transition, and this is impacting the church. “The regime has been putting pressure on to stabilize society,” Kim says. In the months preceding Kim Jong-il’s death, there were few attempts to search for underground believers, but that has changed.

“Now the regime is putting out many people to search for the underground church,” Kim notes. “There is a need to pray for protection.”

MORE

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Mark Ellis is a senior correspondent for ASSIST News Service and the founder ofwww.Godreports.com.  He is available to speak to groups about the plight of the church in restricted countries, to share stories and testimonies from the mission field, and to preach the gospel. mark@Godreports.com

Worldwide General Strike and Call to Mass Demonstrations for North Korean Liberation and Human Rights

North Korea: Genocide and Politicide Alert

By Dan Wooding
One of the few Christian journalists to visit North Korea

PYONGYANG, NORTH KOREA (ANS) -- North Korean officials have pledged in their annual New Year's message to make every effort to bring the country to prosperity and to defend its new leader Kim Jong Un.

Kim Jong Un, the new leader of North Korea

According to Voice of America (VOA), the message published Sunday by the state-run news agency KCNA comes a day after Kim was named the supreme commander of North Korea's military following his father Kim Jong Il's death.

In April, North Korea will mark a crucial landmark in its history: the centenary of the birth of its founder Kim Il Sung, the new leader's grandfather.

“The New Year's message urges North Koreans to glorify 2012 as a year of victory and prosperity. It also calls on the army and people to defend Kim Jong Un unto death,” said the VOA story.

“After the death of Kim Jong Il, December 17, North Korean official media referred to his youngest son as the great successor.

“Kim Jong Un, who is in his 20s, was given a prominent position during his father's funeral. Leaders of the ruling Workers' Party officially named him supreme commander over the 1.2 million-strong military at a meeting Friday.”

Officials also have sent a message to the world not to expect any changes in the communist country's policies.

Michael Little (right) shakes hands with a North Korea officer at the DMZ as Dan Wooding looks on

Watching these scenes on television, brought back memories of the time I was able to visit North Korea in 1994 after the funeral of Kim Il Sung, known as “The Great Leader,” as part of the first delegation allowed into the mysterious country after his death – and what made this so unusual was that our team of four were all Christians.

Besides myself, our team included Dr. Charles Wickman, then a board member of ASSIST, Michael Little from the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN), and it was led by North Korean-born Dr. David Cho (no relation of Paul Yonggi-Cho, the South Korean preacher and head of what is believed to be the world's largest church, Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul.)

Our group saw at first-hand the situation in the country at that time, and it seems to have got even worse over the passing years.

North Korea watchers, including myself, are not expecting any changes in the brutal way that the citizens of this secretive country are treated and now I have heard from the Worldwide Coalition to Stop Genocide in North Korea, a nonpartisan coalition consisting of human rights activists and groups from around the world, is calling for an international general strike on this date to protest against genocide and crimes against humanity in North Korea.

In a news release it says, “January 27th marks the 67th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz concentration camp, the largest Nazi death camp where an estimated 1.1 million innocent men, women and children were killed by the Nazis during the Holocaust.

“In 2005, the United Nations General Assembly designated this date as an annual international day of commemoration to remember the victims of Nazism and the sacred promise of ‘Never Again’. (For more information on the important meaning and significance of this date, read:http://www.un.org/en/holocaustremembrance/).”

Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity in North Korea

A North Korean guard kicking a prisoner in a concentration camp

The release continued by saying, “The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK, North Korea) runs a network of concentration camps where an estimated 1 million innocents have been murdered in silence and 250,000 political prisoners, one-third of them children, are currently being forced to perform slave labor on starvation rations, are subject to systematic rape and torture, biological and chemical weapon experimentation, and summary execution,” said a spokesperson for the group.

“North Korea is actively targeting for destruction every group protected under the U.N. Genocide Convention, through its decades-long policy of killing the half-Chinese babies of North Korean women forcibly repatriated by China (constituting genocide on national, ethnical and racial grounds), and its systematic annihilation of its indigenous religious population and their families (genocide on religious grounds).

This picture says it all

“The regime’s treatment of political prisoners and its exploitative and discriminatory food policy which is responsible for the deaths of several million North Koreans constitutes crimes against humanity as defined in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.”

At the historic UN World Summit in 2005, heads of state and government leaders from around the world committed to protect populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity. According to the Responsibility to Protect principle, the world has a duty to intervene to stop mass atrocity crimes first by "appropriate diplomatic, humanitarian, and other peaceful means" and then by force, if necessary.

“North Korea, as a genocidaire of the first order, is in the category of state perpetrator and is manifestly demonstrating this failure to protect. It is high time for the international community to act in North Korea,” added the spokesperson.

Genocide Watch added that it has ample proof that genocide has been committed and mass killing is still underway in North Korea. (See:http://www.genocidewatch.org/northkorea.html

Letter of Demands to the International Community:

To the Leaders of Korea, America, China, Russia, Japan, the United Nations and the Entire International Community,

Two children pose in the only way they know how: subserviently (Photo: http://thatlinkproject.blogspot.com)

We Refuse to Allow the North Korean Genocide to Continue Any Longer. Over 4,000,000 Innocent North Koreans have been murdered through starvation by the DPRK regime since 1995, and an estimated 1,000,000 North Koreans have been Murdered as a result of Slave Labor, Rape, Torture, Starvation and Execution in North Korea’s Political Concentration Camps. The Very Existence of these Concentration Camps makes the North Korean State Illegal, Illegitimate, and Criminal, and Demands the Immediate Intervention of the International Community.

Our Demands, based upon the foundation of International Law and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights are as follows:

1) The Immediate and Total Liberation of All North Korean Political Concentration Camps
2) Compensation and Re-imbursement to All North Korean Victims of Slavery, Starvation, Torture, All Concentration Camp Survivors and Their Families for Immeasurable Loss and Suffering
3) The Immediate Stepping Down from Power of the DPRK Leadership
4) Prosecution of Kim Yong-nam, Chang Sung-taek and All Individuals Responsible for Commissioning or Carrying Out Acts of Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity
5) Through the Guidance and Oversight of a Coalition of North Korean Refugee Leaders and Human Rights Activists, in Partnership with the Republic of Korea and the International Community, WE DEMAND THE LIBERATION AND REBUILDING OF NORTH KOREA BASED UPON THE FOUNDATION OF ENSURING AND GUARANTEEING WITHOUT FAIL THE HUMAN RIGHTS AND SAFETY OF EVERY NORTH KOREAN INDIVIDUAL ACCORDING TO THE UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND INTERNATIONAL LAW, WHICH WAS COMPOSED TO PREVENT THE ATROCITIES OF NAZI GERMANY FROM EVER OCCURRING AGAIN. WE, THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY, HAVE ALL FAILED TO KEEP OUR PROMISE AND UPHOLD INTERNATIONAL LAW, AND MOST MISERABLY IN THE CASE OF NORTH KOREA.

Worldwide Coalition to Stop Genocide in North Korea (Nonpartisan)

For more information, please refer to:

“Responsibility to Protect in North Korea”: http://hir.harvard.edu/responsibility-to-protect-in-north-korea
“North Korea and the Genocide Convention”: http://hir.harvard.edu/north-korea-and-the-genocide-movement
Documentary Evidence of Genocide in North Korea: http://www.watch-documentaries.com/children-of-the-secret-state
Documentary Evidence of Concentration Camps, Gas Chambers, Chemical and Biological Weapon Experimentation on Human Beings in North Korea: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7096673757347175289
Documentary - Public Execution in North Korea: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAQE7kDwPZY
Contact: http://www.stopnkgenocide.com, r2pnorthkorea@gmail.com
Facebook: Stop Genocide in North Korea http://www.facebook.com/groups/stopnkgenocide/

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Dan Wooding, 71, is an award winning British journalist now living in Southern California with his wife Norma, to whom he has been married for 48 years. They have two sons, Andrew and Peter, and six grandchildren who all live in the UK. He is the founder and international director of ASSIST (Aid to Special Saints in Strategic Times) and the ASSIST News Service (ANS) and was, for ten years, a commentator, on the UPI Radio Network in Washington, DC. He now hosts the weekly “Front Page Radio” show on KWVE in Southern California which is also carried throughout the United States. The program is also aired in Great Britain on Calvary Chapel Radio UK and also in Belize and South Africa. Besides this, Wooding is a host for His Channel Live, which is carried via the Internet to some 192 countries and also provides a regular commentary for Worship Life Radio on KWVE. You can follow Dan Wooding on Facebook under his name there or at ASSIST News Service. He is the author of some 44 books, one of which is his autobiography, “From Tabloid to Truth”, which is published by Theatron Books. To order a copy, press this link. Wooding, who was born in Nigeria of British missionary parents, has also recently released his first novel “Red Dagger” which is available this link.

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North Korea begins new day with old regime

(Associated Press screen grabs)

North Korea (MNN) ― North Korea sent off their "Dear Leader" Kim Jong-Il in  a massive ceremonial farewell Tuesday. At the same time, North Korea moved to strengthen a new personality cult around Kim's son and successor, Kim Jong-Un.

It's usually the unknown that has people on edge, wondering what changes will be coming with a successor. However, there's good and bad news on that front. Todd Nettleton is a spokesman for The Voice of the Martyrs USA. "I spoke the night after the announcement of Kim Jong-Il's death with one of our VOM workers who works on the Korean peninsula, and his message was,  'Don't look for any significant changes, at least in the short-term.'"

It's widely thought that Kim Jong-Il had been ill for some time, so the likelihood that whoever was running the country in his absence will continue to do so under the  name of Kim Jong-Un. "There were people who were making the decisions and keeping things going on his behalf. It is believed that those same people will now be in charge behind the scenes for Kim Jong-Un, maintain his authority, maintain his power."

The country has been known for its disregard for human and religious rights. North Korea's policies and practices that persecute believers have kept it atop the Open Doors World Watch List for over four years. It is estimated that between 50,000 to 70,000 Christians suffer in prison camps because of their faith. People rarely get out of alive.

Despite that, the reclusive nation claims they have freedom of religion. Nettleton explains, "If you acknowledge Kim Jong-Il as a divine being, if you pray to Kim Il Sung--the founder of North Korea, and expect him to provide blessings and provisions in your life, then there is religious freedom for you."

In practice, there is no freedom to build churches or to worship in homes. An estimated 400,000 Christians practice their faith in underground networks. Possession of a Bible or Christian material is illegal and punishable by death.

Two years ago, authorities stepped up their surveillance of Christians, and house searches are said to be more rigorous than in the past.   

Why the overkill response to Christians? Nettleton says believers are viewed as "a danger to society." "Locking people in concentration camps--not just the people who are assumed to be guilty of this crime but their parents and their children as well"-- is not an unusual response. "Three generations to try to rid the country of this Christian philosophy that undermines not only the religion of Juche and the religion of the Kim's as divine beings, but it undermines the legitimacy of the government itself."  

VOM has been working with persecuted believers in North Korea for decades, including launching thousands of Scripture balloons across into the notoriously closed country. They've also found another way to get the hope of Christ across the borders: "sending Gospel broadcasts across the border into North Korea. A part of that Gospel broadcast is slowly reading the Scripture so that people can write it down as the person is reading."  

Pray for the protection of believers living under harsh conditions and those who have defected to China. Ask God to use their courageous testimonies to draw non-believers into fellowship with Him. "Pray for the rest of North Korea to see the falsehood of the Juche religion and the falsehood of the Kim family as divine beings. We can pray that God will provide truth to them."