North Korea, where Christians suffer the greatest persecution.

North Korea.

Updated 21 January 2013

“Amnesty called on North Korea, one of the world's most secretive states, to close all political prison camps and to release all prisoners of conscience.”¹

North Korea is first on Open Doors International's “World Watch List” of nations where Christians suffer persecution, for the eleventh consecutive year.² Though the country remains closed to the outside world, economic hardship and widespread famines have created some openings for compassionate relief ministries.³
Korea was occupied by Japan from 1910-1945 and divided because of the insistance of the Russians after World War 2.²⁴ Communist leaders gained control in 1948.³
In 1950 North Korea invaded the south the war continued until 1953.²⁴ This war caused significant hardship.³ War nearly broke out again in the late 1990s but was prevented by diplomacy.³ Tensions between the two nations remain high.³ Though North Korea is closed to the outside world there are some openings for compassionate relief ministries due to the widespread famines and hardship.³ It is estimated that 300,000 North Koreans are hiding in China's north-eastern border region with North Korea.
Though there once many Jews and Christians in North Korea it is now one of the most ethnically homogeneous nations in the world. In 1993 the economy was close to collapsing with severe rationing of basic foods.⁴ It is estimated that between 2,000,000 – 3,500,000 people have died of starvation as a result.⁴⁵ Billions in humanitarian aid have been shipped to North Korea, more than enough to feed the nation’s population, but government and academic studies have revealed that North Korea systematically diverted the aid, using it to bolster its military might while millions, for whom the aid was intended, starved to death.⁵

Population.

In 2008 the population was estimated at about 23.5 Million.⁶ The majority have never heard the name of Jesus.⁴

Language.

The official language is Korean which is related to Japanese and influenced by Chinese vocabulary.⁷

Land.

Eastern Asia 46,540 sq. miles (120,538 sq. Km).³ The Chaeryong and Pyongyang plains in the south west are the main agricultural land. 18% of the land is arable and 74% of the terrain is forested.⁷

Religion.

“Every religious activity is recognised as insurrection to the North Korean socialist principles.³
The government promotes 2 ideologies, strongly opposed to any form of religion:“Juche”, the self-reliance of man and “Kimilsungism”, the worship of the leaders.²

Christians.

There are about 2-500,000 Christians in North Korea.²³
Before the war there was a revival started in North Korea. Pyongyang became 13% Christian (about 500,000 believers). Three churches remain for propaganda purposes, but nearly all believers are part of unregistered underground churches. Since the war with the South all churches and their members have been required to be registered with the government.³

Persecution.

“Harsh, growing.”³
Under the Japanese persecution of Christians was intense as people were pressed to adopt Shinto as the national religion.³
During the war most either fled south or were martyred. As the North Korean army was retreating they massacred Christians to prevent their liberation.³
At first the communists attempted to win the support of Christians while suppressing those working for political freedom. When this failed the government began an to systematically eradicate Christianity with the confiscation of church buildings and imprisonment of church leaders.³
North Korea is desperately mobilising every resource of power to control society in order to eradicate Christian activities. Combat campaigns of 100 and 150 days have been used by the government to try very hard to demolish the street market system. Many Christians have been exposed during strict searches. The North Korean regime has especially targeted secret Christians in these campaigns to arrest and kill them. “They have arrested and tortured Christians in various horrible ways, such as sometimes using them as a means of testing biological or chemical weapons.”⁸
People can be arrested and put into labour camps for simply hearing the Gospel.⁹ Christians who are discovered are either killed or put into labour camps, their families, being considered guilty by association can be punished too.¹⁰
In the first six months of 2011 more than 14,000 people fled North Korea. China is the first destination of almost all about 15% move to South Korea but most spend more than 3 years in China to cover their tracks.¹¹ Some take the “underground railroad” to Thailand where they can go to South Korea with the aid of the embassy.¹²
The Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Authority in Jerusalem, describes the use of gas chambers for murders and medical experiments on political dissidents and their families as being similar to the holocaust under Nazi Germany.¹³
In spite of the persecution the Church is growing and opportunities to hear the Gospel are increasing especially near the border with China.⁸

Examples of Persecution:

• Eddie Jun was arrested and accused of committing a serious crime against North Korea, spreading Christianity.¹⁴
  
• Former North Korean officials and prisoners have said that in re-education camps and prisons Christians are singled out for harsher treatment.¹⁵
  
• According to Amnesty International's Asia Pacific director, Sam Zarifi, the existence of mass political prison camps is no longer deniable. “Mr Zarifi said: 'Hundreds of thousands of people exist with virtually no rights, treated essentially as slaves, in some of the worst circumstances we’ve documented in the last 50 years.'” People are worked 16-18 hour days in dangerous conditions. Some died of starvation or as a result of accidents while others were executed.¹
  

The Future.

The government may either launch new persecution or open up to the Gospel. There is optimism for the future of the church with the church growing rapidly. By 2050 there are likely to be more than a million Christians in North Korea. Many observers of North Korea expect the current restrictions to be lifted early this century. If this happens Christianity could spread quickly through the population just like it did in South Korea.³

Prayer Points:

• That the leaders will come to know the Lord Jesus and that the time will come when Jesus may be worshipped openly.⁴
• Believers to be able to safely obtain Bibles.⁴
• For God to raise a revival initiated by the North Korean believers who remain.¹⁶
• For grace, endurance and freedom for believers.⁴
• For the people to become aware of a God shaped void in their lives, that only He can fill.⁴
• For the many students who were in the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics at the time of the collapse of Communism and heard the Gospel to stand firm and grow despite the hostile spiritual environment.⁴
• For North Korea to open up to the Gospel.⁴
• For discreet ways to spread the Gospel and for a large number will be ready to evangelise when North Korea opens up to the Gospel.³
• For the emptiness of the worship of government leadership of be revealed and for people to seek the true God.³
• For the creative means of getting the Gospel into North Korea to be successful.³

As always I encourage readers to seek more information by reading the Bible.

© Ken Glasgow 2013

This page was written using Open Office 3.3.0, open source software from the www.openoffice.org this software is available to download for free.

1“Daily Mail Reporter”, 2011, Revealed: North Korea's growing gulags where 200,000 are imprisoned and many don't even know what they're accused of, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1383718/Revealed-North-Koreas-huge-political-prisoner-camps-200-000-held-having-wrong-relatives.html?ITO=1490

2Anonymous, 2013, #1 North Korea, World Watch List 2013, http://www.worldwatchlist.com.au/country.cfm?country=north-korea.

3Companjen J & Long J, 2000, Please Pray For Us praying for persecuted Christians in 52 nations, Bethany House, Minneapolis, Minnesota, pages 108-111.

4Johnstone P, 1993, Operation World pray for the world, Crossroad Distributors Pty Ltd, Rydalmere, NSW pages 334-335.

5Robert Park 2011, When will we stop the genocide in North Korea?, http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/when-will-we-stop-the-genocide-in-north-korea/2011/03/29/AFqXaMEE_story.html

6Anonymous, 2008, SBS World Guide 16^th edition, Hardie Grant Books, South Yarra, Victoria, pages 397-400.

7Anonymous, 2002, SBS World Guide 10^th edition, Hardie Grant Books, South Yarra, Victoria, pages 415-418.

8Anonymous, 2010, #1 North Korea, World Watch List 2010, http://www.worldwatchlist.com.au/country.cfm?country=north-korea. (Not currently at that U.R.L.)

9'Spiritualcourage' 2011, An Amazing North Korea Story, http://spiritualcourage.wordpress.com/2011/04/04/an-amazing-north-korea-story/

10'Spiritualcourage' 2011, Life in North Korea, http://spiritualcourage.wordpress.com/2011/03/31/life-in-north-korea/

11Joseph Yun Li-sun, 2011, Dissidents fleeing North on the increase, because Pyongyang and Beijing, http://www.asianews.it/viee4print.php?1=en&art=22011 (no longer at this URL).

12Patrick Winn, 2011, North Korea defectors take to the Underground Railroad”, http://www.globalpost.com/print/5649495 (no longer at this URL).

13Robert Park 2011, When will we stop the genocide in North Korea?, http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/when-will-we-stop-the-genocide-in-north-korea/2011/03/29/AFqXaMEE_story.html

14Foster Klug 2011, N. Korea to Free Detained American, http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,9916,2074369,00.html (no longer at this URL).

15Joseph Yun Li-sun, 2011, The family of Dictator Kim Il-sung were devout Christians, http://www.asianews.it/news-en/The-family-of-Dictator-Kim-Il-sung-were-devout-Christians-21409.html

16'Spiritualcourage' 2011, How did North Kowea become #1 ofnthe World Watch List?, http://spiritualcourage.wordpress.com/2011/04/21/how-did-north-korea-become-1-on-the-world-watch-list/.

Hindu nationalists plan "religious cleansing" of runing all Christians out of Madhya Pradesh.

Hindu nationalists hope to 'clean house' by 2011.

Posted: 13 August, 2010
Source: http://www.mnnonline.org/article/14592

India (MNN) ― In May, we covered a story of a plan in Madhya Pradesh to do a "religious cleansing."

The Maa Narmada Samajik Kumbh (Mother Narmada Social Kumbh, with kumbh literally meaning, “pot”) is scheduled for Feb. 10-12 on the Narmada, a river that flows through Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat.

Compass Direct News and the regional Patrika newspaper first broke the story. They also reported that Hindu leaders announced a list of pre-festival objectives, which included a concerted effort to drive away Christian pastors, evangelists, and foreign aid workers.

Hindu nationalists openly declared their intentions to rid Mandla district of all Christian influence by starting preparations for a large "reconversion" event. At the time we reported the story, we also asked if ministries had already started to feel the pressure.

Dave Stravers of Grand Rapids, Michigan-based Mission India says they had been seeing an uptick in the level of harassment. With the announcement of an agenda, "It's sort of given the ‘go' signal to all the various extremist groups throughout the state to make life difficult for Christians. We're starting to see increasing physical attacks as well as verbal abuse, arrests, and threats being made against Christians everywhere."

What makes this different is that it's a campaign. There's no help from police, either. In more than one situation, when the victims went to the police for help, they found themselves facing charges or being arrested. Stravers explains, "It's very well organized. They have a date: April 2011. So, between now and April 2011, they have a plan to try to force Christians to leave."

Although the anti-conversion laws are frequently cited in these cases, the clear fact that many people are turning to Christ without coercion can't be ignored. "Ninety-nine percent of the population is very open and very friendly toward Christian workers," Stravers says, adding that "the common reaction is acceptance, joy and thankfulness when they're hearing the message. It's just this very vocal violent minority, usually people in power, who are trying to stop this movement."

In the days since the Hindu nationalists launched their reconversion campaign, Stravers says that he's started getting daily reports of persecution of Christians. Naturally, violence disrupts a team's work. "When there's a mob action, then people in the community get all upset and disturbed. We'll temporarily suspend the ministry. If there's a children's Bible club going, they'll stop meeting for a week or two, and then they'll quietly gather again."

Mission India offers Children's Bible Clubs, Adult Literacy Classes, and Church Planter Training. Sometimes the classes are used as an excuse to prove "foreign coercion," which violates the anti-conversion laws of the state.

However, Stravers says, "We are actually helping many different existing groups--indigenous churches, indigenous mission agencies--to train their workers, providing them with Scriptures, with Scripture materials, and theological training."

Funding is needed to keep discipleship pace with the fast-growing church. You can help. Click here.

As always I encourage my readers to seek more information by reading the Bible.

Son Jong Nam died for following Jesus

Son Jong Nam.

LOCATION: North Koreaⁱ

ARRESTED: January 2006ⁱⁱ

DIED: December 2008ⁱⁱⁱ

“From 1973 to 1983, he served in the Korean People's Army as part of the presidental security service, rising to the rank of master sergeant...” “In 1997, his wife, pregnant with their second child, was arrested for allegedly insulting Kim Jong-il's mismanagement of the economy and blaming him for the North Korean famine.”^iv

“In January 1998, Son took his wife and daughter and fled North Korea...”^v This lead to his conversion to Christianity. “After becoming a Christian, Son began helping the missionary try to convert other North Koreans hiding in China.”^vi

“Son returned to North Korea with bibles and cassette tapes in an effort to proselytise people in his home country. However, in January 2006, police found the bibles at his home in Hoeryong and arrested him again. According to his brother, the charges were illegal border crossing, meeting with enemies of the state, and disseminating anti-state literature. Son was imprisoned in the basement of the State Security Department in Pyonyang.”^vii

Son Jong Nam spent more than 2 years in prison for returning to North Korea to preach the Gospel.“He risked his life returning to North Korea to preach the gospel. When the Prisoner profile was first posted, Voice Of the Martyrs contacts believed he was still alive, although contact was limited. In 2007 The Voice of the Martyrs made a concerted effort to publicize the arrest and imprisonment of North Korean Christian Son Jong Nam. We have continued to follow Son Jong Nam’s case since that time, in spite of difficulties getting information out of North Korea. Our contacts on the Korean peninsula have informed us that the most recent information leads them to believe that Son Jong Nam has died in prison. We are thankful for all those who prayed for and wrote letters to Son Jong Nam; we are also thankful for his example of faithfulness to Christ. He’s arrived safely Home.”^viii

“According to a November 2009 statement from a fellow State Security Department prison inmate, Son died there in December 2008.”^ix

As always I encourage readers to seek more information by reading the Bible.

© Ken Glasgow 2010

This page was written using Open Office 3.2.1, open source software from the www.openoffice.org this software is available to download for free.

i19 July 2010, “Son Jong Nam Prisoner Profile”, Prisoner Alert, http://www.prisoneralert.com/qry/vp_prsnprofile.taf?pfilid=176&_nc=8a51eb658a1187163cdc9da436179036

ii19 July 2010, “Son Jong Nam Prisoner Profile”, Prisoner Alert, http://www.prisoneralert.com/qry/vp_prsnprofile.taf?pfilid=176&_nc=8a51eb658a1187163cdc9da436179036

iii8 July 2010, “Son Jong-nam”, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Son_Jong-nam

iv8 July 2010, “Son Jong-nam”, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Son_Jong-nam

v8 July 2010, “Son Jong-nam”, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Son_Jong-nam

viFloyd, 6 July 2010, “Son Jong Nam R.I.P.”, http://www.threedonia.com/archives/26754

vii8 July 2010, “Son Jong-nam”, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Son_Jong-nam

viii19 July 2010, “Son Jong Nam Prisoner Profile”, Prisoner Alert, http://www.prisoneralert.com/qry/vp_prsnprofile.taf?pfilid=176&_nc=8a51eb658a1187163cdc9da436179036

ix8 July 2010, “Son Jong-nam”, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Son_Jong-nam

Christians drew wrath by objecting to sexual assaults

Muslims Order Christians to Leave Village.

Source: http://www.compassdirect.org/english/country/pakistan/21375/

Christians drew wrath by objecting to sexual assaults on girls and women.

KHANEWAL, Pakistan, June 7 (CDN) — The head of a Muslim village last week ordered 250 Christian families to leave their homes in Khanewal district, Punjab Province, local residents said.

Abdul Sattar Khan, head of village No. 123/10R, Katcha Khoh, and other area Muslim residents ordered the expulsions after Christian residents objected too strenuously to sexual assaults by Muslims on Christian girls and women, said a locally elected Christian official, Emmanuel Masih.

Most of the village’s Christian men work in the fields of Muslim land owners, while most of the Christian women and girls work as servants in the homes of Muslim families, said Rasheed Masih, a Christian in the village who added that the impoverished Christians were living in appalling conditions.

The Muslim employers have used their positions of power to routinely sexually assault the Christian women and girls, whose complaints grew so shrill that four Christian men – Emmanuel Masih, Rasheed Masih, his younger brother Shehzad Anjum and Yousaf Masih Khokhar – sternly confronted the Muslims, only to be told that all Christians were to leave the village at once.

“The Muslim villagers came to us with the expulsion order only after Christian women and girls raised a hue and cry when they became totally exasperated because they were sexually attacked or forced to commit adultery by Muslims on a daily basis,” said Khokhar, a Christian political leader.

Khokhar said the unanimous decision to compel the Christians to leave their homes and relocate them was possible because the Christians were completely subject to the Muslims’ power.

“The Muslims had been telling the Christian women and girls that if they denied them sex, they would kick them out of their native village,” Emmanuel Masih added.

Christians created the colony when they began settling in the area in about 1950, said Anjum. Since then the migration of Muslims to the area has left the Christians a minority among the 6,000 residents of the village, said Emmanuel Masih.

“There is no church building or any worship place for Christians, and neither is there any burial place for Christians,” Emmanuel Masih said.

He said that the Rev. Pervez Qaiser of village No. 231, the Rev. Frank Masih of village No. 133 and the Rev. Sharif Masih of village No. 36, Mian Channu, have been visiting the village on Sundays to lead services at the houses of the Christian villagers, who open their homes by turns.

Asked why they didn’t contact local Katcha Khoh police for help, Emmanuel Masih and Khokhar said that filing a complaint against Muslim village head Khan and other Muslims would only result in police registering false charges against them under Pakistan’s notorious “blasphemy” statutes.

“They might arrest us,” Khokhar said, “and the situation would be worse for the Christian villagers who are already living a deplorably pathetic life under the shadow of fear and death, as they [the Muslims] would not be in police lock-up or would be out on bail, due to their riches and influence, very soon.”

Couples Charged with ‘Blasphemy’
That very fate befell two Christian couples in Gulshan-e-Iqbal town, Karachi, who had approached police with complaints against Muslims for falsely accusing them of blasphemy.

On May 28, a judge directed Peer Ilahi Bakhsh (PIB) police to file charges of desecrating the Quran against Atiq Joseph and Qaiser William after a mob of armed Islamists went through their home’s garbage looking for pages of the Islamic scripture among clean-up debris (see “Pakistani Islamists Keep Two Newlywed Couples from Home,” May 27).

Additional District & Sessions Judge Karachi East (Sharqi) Judge Sadiq Hussein directed the PIB police station in Gulshan-e-Iqbal to file a case against Joseph and William, newlyweds who along with their wives had shared a rented home and are now in hiding. The judge acted on the application of Muslim Munir Ahmed.

Saleem Khurshid Khokhar, a Christian provincial legislator in Sindh, and Khalid Gill, head of the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance in Punjab, said that police were threatening and harassing relatives and close friends of Joseph and William to reveal their whereabouts.

Islamists armed with pistols and rifles had waited for the two Christian couples to return to their rented home on May 21, seeking to kill them after the couples complained to police that the radical Muslims had falsely accused them of desecrating the Quran.

The blasphemy laws include Section 295-A for injuring religious feelings, 295-B for defiling the Quran and 295-C for blaspheming Muhammad, the prophet of Islam – all of which have often been misused by fanatical Muslims to settle personal scores against Christians.

Maximum punishment for violation of Section 295-A, as well as for Section 295-B (defiling the Quran), is life imprisonment; for violating Section 295-C the maximum punishment is death, though life imprisonment is also possible.

In village 123/10R in Khanewal district, Anjum noted that it is only 22 kilometers (14 miles) from Shanti Nagar, where Muslims launched an attack on Christians in 1997 that burned hundreds of homes and 13 church buildings.

Yousaf Masih added, “Muslim villagers have made the life a hell for Christians at village 123/10R.”

"Blessed are the persecuted."

“You're blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution.”ⁱ

“God blesses those people who are treated badly for doing right. They belong to the Kingdom of Heaven. God will bless you when people insult you, mistreat you, and tell all kinds of evil lies about you because of me. Be happy and excited! You will have a great reward in heaven. People did these same things to the prophets who lived long ago.”ⁱⁱ

“PERSECU'TION, n. The act or practice of persecuting; the infliction of pain, punishment or death upon others unjustly, particularly for adhering to a religious creed or mode of worship, either by way of penalty or for compelling them to renounce their principles.”ⁱⁱⁱ

“In all ages, in one form or another, the people of God have had to suffer persecution. In its earliest history the Christian church passed through many bloody persecutions. Of subsequent centuries in our own and in other lands the same sad record may be made.”^iv

“Happy are you, when men have hate for you, and put you away from among them and say angry words to you, turning away in disgust at your name, because of the Son of man. Be glad in that day, and be lifted up for joy, for your reward in heaven will be great: for their fathers did these same things to the prophets.”^v

“Be exceeding glad - Αγαλλιασθε, leap for joy. There are several cases on record, where this was literally done by the martyrs, in Queen Mary’s days.”^vi

“Theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven - They have evidence that they are Christians, and that they will be brought to heaven.”^vii

The ultimate persecution of the righteous was suffered by Jesus Himself. The great reward is that some of us have chosen to give our lives to Him.

There's a lot more on the subject of persecution of the righteous, some of it will be included in other posts.

I have referred to several English translations of the Bible in writing this which is made easy by e-sword, a free downloadable program. For further information I recommend reading the Bible.

© Ken Glasgow 2010

This post was written using Open Office 3.2.1, open source software from the www.openoffice.org this software is available to download for free.

iMark 5:10a "The Message" paraphrase of the Bible.

iiMark 5:10-12 Contemporary English Version of the Bible.

iiiWebster's 1828 Dictionary.

ivEaston's Dictionary of the Bible.

vLuke 6:22-23 The Bible in Basic English.

viAdam Clarke's commentary on the Bible.

viiAlbert Barnes' notes on the Bible.

About this blog.

I am a Christian, and no longer state my nationality because a dictator in another part of the nation where I live could drag me into exile for up to ten years imprisonment.

As a Christian I am obliged to go into all the world proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ (who is the way, the truth and the life, no one goes to the Heavenly Father but by Him) and teaching people to observe what he commanded. There is no greater potential audience than the World Wide Web, so I have chosen to put my message on it.

I am also obliged to “Remember those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them. Remember those who are suffering, as though you were suffering as they are.” This blog will draw the reader's attention to the ways in which Christians suffer for their faith.

“In my life now, I am obsessed with only two things: I don't want anybody to die before their time, and I don't want to see good people spend their energies without making a difference ... you can change the reality of human history by systematic action.” William J. Clinton, former president of the United States of America. I want to make a positive difference. It is my intention that I will depopulate Hell and populate Heaven with this site.

© Ken Glasgow 2010 lightly edited 13 February 2021

This page was written using Open Office 3.2.1, open source software from the www.openoffice.org this software is available to download for free.