Religious Liberty Prayer List – No. 164 – Wed 17 Apr 2002

—————————————- NORTH KOREA: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KIM IL-SUNG —————————————-

On 16 February 2002, North Korea’s present leader, Kim Jong-il, celebrated his 60th birthday with his ruling party, army, parliament and cabinet pledging ‘ardent worship’ of this ‘great guardian of human justice’. Whilst that celebration was magnificent, it was only a shadow compared with those that started on 15 April for the 90th birthday of his father, Kim Il-sung, the deified ‘Eternal President’ of North Korea, who died in July 1994.

The festivities are absolutely extravagant. One could be forgiven for forgetting that North Korea is on the verge of a massive humanitarian disaster, with millions facing imminent starvation in this most repressive of nations. One third of the population rely totally on international food aid, set to be exhausted within a few months. German doctor Norbert Vollertsen reports that a mere 25 miles from the capital city, people are dying of starvation, surgery is performed with razor blades and without anaesthesia, and numerous concentration or labour camps exist where starvation and torture are systematic. He compares the children to ‘children in Auschwitz and Dachau in Hitler’s Nazi Germany’.

Soon-ok Lee, a former inmate of a North Korean detention camp, met the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) on 24 January 2002. He testified that Christians in North Korea are imprisoned as political criminals and that organised religion is crushed as a threat to the state. Some 2,300 North Korean Christian congregations with around 300,000 members are believed to have disappeared since the border closed in 1953. ‘I didn’t know God when I lived in North Korea because we were brainwashed to worship Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il,’ said Lee, who came to Christ through the witness of Christian martyrs in the camp. It is estimated that 100,000 Christians are currently incarcerated for their faith.

Across the border, South Korea is home to 10 of the world’s 11 largest mega-congregations. Amongst its 280 theological colleges are the world’s largest, with over 16,000 students altogether. South Korea is also second only to USA as a missionary sending nation, with more than 10,000 serving missionaries.

Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, was the birthplace of the Korean revival and was once known as the ‘Jerusalem of the East’. Severe repression combined with almost total isolation has made it now more like hell on earth. Amongst other things however, the severity of the famine is forcing North Korea to return to talks with South Korea. Negotiations last week resulted in another round of family reunions being set for 28 April. Economic co-operation and work on the cross-border railway are back on the agenda. Should North Korea open up, the resulting revival could be amazing.

PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY FOR:

* God to break down this stronghold by whatever means, and open North Korea up to the Gospel, healing lives and saving souls, healing the land and transforming the nation. Isaiah 55:8,9

* God to protect the remnant believers of North Korea, spiritually, emotionally and physically, and give them encouragement, hope and strong faith in the midst of terrible suffering. Rev 3:8,11

* God to continue working through and preparing the South Korean Church, its leadership, missionaries, intercessors and members, for the day he opens the door.

‘Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O Lord. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy.’ Habakkuk 3:2

SUMMARY TO USE IN BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE: ——————————————————————- NORTH KOREA: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KIM IL-SUNG

On 15 April, North Korea started extravagant celebrations for the 90th birthday of deified ‘Eternal President’ Kim Il-sung, who died in 1994. Yet North Korea is verging on a massive humanitarian disaster with one third of the population surviving solely on international food aid, which is due to run out soon. Also indicative of conditions, surgery is done without anaesthesia, and the nation is littered with a gulag of concentration or labour camps where political prisoners are systematically starved and tortured. Some 100,000 Christians are in these camps for their faith. The severity of the famine has forced North Korea to resume negotiations with South Korea, a nation with a strong church and missionary focus. Pray for God to break down the stronghold of North Korea and open the door for the Gospel.

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The WEA Religious Liberty Commission sponsors this RL Prayer List to help individuals and groups pray specifically and regularly for religious liberty issues, and in particular to uphold the Church where it is suffering persecution.