North Korea is consistently rated #1 on the Open Doors World Watch list of persecuting nations. The country is also recognised more generally as being the most repressive and closed nation on earth.
The suffering of Christians in this land is immense. It is currently estimated that out of the 200,000 or so North Koreans currently imprisoned in the nation’s concentration camps, 40,000 are Christians. Ironically the capital Pyongyang was once known as ‘the Jerusalem of the East’ because of a revival during the early 1900’s. There is also a widely held belief that the mother of the Kim dynasty founder, Kim Il Sung, was a Christian. Following the death of Kim Jong Il in 2011 power transferred to his son, Kim Jong Un.
The North Korean people remain chained by the false ideology known as Juche. This is a bizarre and dangerous false religion introduced by Kim Il Sung which has at its core the idea of self-reliance. In actual fact it is a personality cult designed to guarantee the worship of the Kim dynasty.
Pray:
- Please pray earnestly for Christians who are enduring horrific conditions and inhumane treatment within North Korea’s infamous concentration camps, asking that they be given strength to persevere and boldness to maintain a consistent witness for Christ in the face of their terrible suffering.
- Pray that the underground Christians in North Korea might be protected, encouraged and strengthened in their faith and also that they would be given opportunities to share the gospel with those around them.
- Pray that God would work supernaturally in the hearts of the North Korean people so that they might be drawn to faith in King Jesus.
- Pray for Kim Jong Un, that the Lord would reveal Himself to him and that he would be convicted of the injustice and cruelty towards the people of the nation and be moved to reform.
- Pray for every effort to serve the suffering North Korean Church and nation.
