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North Korea’s nuclear test this weekend brought the spiritual needs of its people into sharper relief. Sunday morning I read the October issue of The Voice of the Martyrs Newsletter, which focused on North Korean Christians risking all to return to their country to share the gospel. According to Crossing Borders, North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Il starved to death 2 million citizens between 1995 and 1998. Basic living conditions are so terrible in North Korea that many cross the border into China, where they risk immediate deportation if found by authorities or capture and forced labor and prostitution if discovered by unscrupulous Chinese citizens. In spite of the grim prospects they face in China, North Koreans find them a better choice than staying in their own country.

One might wonder what could induce someone to return to North Korea, especially since those suspected of being Christians are guaranteed imprisonment, torture, and possible execution at the hands of their government. The state religion says that North Korea is an earthly paradise and that Kim Il Song, father of the current dictator, is a divine being who still guides the country though dead. These North Korean believers have discovered the true Savior, and they desire to bring hope to their families and friends. Crossing Borders estimates that 99% of North Koreans have never heard the name of Jesus, so truly, this is a field ripe for harvest. Roli, a Christian who has made more than 100 trips into North Korea to share the gospel, said that, read the complete post

Tagged as: Christian activism, gospel, Kim-Jong-Il, North-Korea, nuclear-weapons, persecution, sharing-the-faith, Voice of the Martyrs