Defector Says Christianity Spreading in North Korea Despite Regime's Extreme Persecution of Christians
Try as the North Korean regime might to suppress Christianity, its plans aren't working because the Christian faith is actually spreading like wildfire, a defector revealed.
Kim Chung-seong, a defector turned missionary, told the Catholic News Agency that more and more North Koreans are turning to Christianity despite the extreme persecution of Christians under the Kim Jong-un regime.
"It is my prayer that all the international Christian communities will pray for those North Korean Christians to really help and engage them to spread the Gospel," Kim said.
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He spoke during the first annual World Summit in Defense of Persecuted Christians in Washington, D.C., which was held on May 11 to 12 and hosted by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA).
Kim said the North Korean regime is terribly afraid of the spread of the gospel. He suspects that its leader, Kim Jong-un, is fearful of the gospel because it speaks the truth. "Once the light shines in the dark room, there is light in the room," he said.
As for North Koreans who have turned to Christ, they gather for prayer or worship "on a family level" to avoid detection by the authorities, he said. Christians leave their houses and "we retreat either to the riverside, the mountainside, somewhere remote," he said, adding that "we cannot go into any building."
He said they share gospel messages, Christian music and world news through USB drives and SD memory cards.
Kim said he talks about his faith through his radio program in the Far East Broadcasting Company.
"However, the most important work is to fill the North Korean people's minds with Jesus Christ, because the truth will set you free," he said. "It's my earnest prayer that the truth will set each of my North Korean brothers and sisters free."
Open Doors USA, a non-profit organization focused on serving persecuted Christians, has listed North Korea as the "most oppressive place in the world for Christians" on its 2017 World Watch list.
Open Doors says Christians living in North Korea are either arrested, imprisoned, tortured or killed if discovered. They are forced to pray with eyes open for fear they might be found out. They also refrain from talking about their love for God, it says.
"Entire Christian families are imprisoned in hard labor camps, where unknown numbers die each year from torture, beatings, overexertion and starvation. Those who attempt to flee to South Korea through China risk execution or life imprisonment, and those who stay behind often fare no better," the group says.
