There are 23 million people in this atheist State with a heavily fortified 250 mile border to the South with South Korea. To the north, there is a 900 mile border with China and a short section with Russia. NK is widely recognised as the most secretive nation in the world. All North Korea is dominated by the Kim family, and today by Kim Jung-Il. The thoughts and writings of his father, Kim Il Sung control all of society and stand in direct conflict with the freedoms of the Gospel. There is widespread abuse of believers, extensive famine in rural areas, a moribund economy and zero toleration of criticism.
Church/Mission Activity
Christianity was first brought to Korea by itinerant evangelists from China and then seeped in even further through traders and explorers. Christianity however stands directly opposed to the foundations of traditional Korean society which depends on ancestral worship to provide legitimacy for the state rulers. Several purges killed thousands of believers in the 1800s. After 1945, many Christians headed South as the North Korean government began converting Churches for secular use. In the 1950s there were 300,000 believers in the country. Today, there are probably just a few thousand. An estimated 100,000 believers are in prison camps. Those who do meet together, do so in tiny groups, in secret and in great fear.
Most people have never heard of Christ. Christian teaching has been obliterated by a nightmare of repression, demands for total conformity and isolation from the outside world. Some Christian agencies have been allowed to help with food relief programs but never with permission to share the Gospel.
Significant opportunities for ministry are hard to find but are available. The door is open for Chinese business men to travel into NK. Radio broadcasts from the South and elsewhere are constant but most radios in the north are fixed-frequency and restricted to government propaganda. There are several networks of prayer for NK based in the South and around the world. Other ministries are happening though not reported.
Unreached Groups
There are some believers inside North Korea. Their lives are severely restricted and their presence a secret. Many Christians have been placed in prisons. Between 250,000 and 300,000 North Koreans have escaped into China. They live in appalling conditions and face forced repatriation by the Chinese authorities if discovered. Many long to make the arduous journey to South Korea, or settle in an alternative country. It is extremely dangerous for refugees to travel across China without the ability to speak the language and without even a passport.
The 23 million living in North Korea are taught there is no God. They are required to worship the deceased (but still reigning) former President, and now his son.
Persecution Index
Every six months, Open Doors World Watch publishes an index which grades countries according to the levels of persecution religious believers, and of Christians especially. 2007 Grading for North Korea: 1st |
