"North Korea used to be a Christian country before the Communists took over," says Yoon Kwon Chae, whose father was one of the first ministers in Korea. Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, once was called the "Jerusalem of Asia."
But now the isolated communist nation is a deadly place for Christians. According to AsiaNews/Agencies, the North Korean regime carries out “violent and brutal” persecutions of Christians and all those dedicated to missionary activities. Since the communist government came to power, approximately 300,000 Christians have disappeared. Close to 200,000 now live in labor camps, where they are subject to conditions of hunger, torture and death.
It comes as no surprise then that North Korea tops the Open Doors "World Watch List" of countries where Christians are persecuted. The annual list ranks countries according to the intensity of persecution Christians face for actively pursuing their faith.
An estimated 200 million Christians worldwide suffer interrogation, arrest and even death for their faith in Christ, with another 200 to 400 million facing discrimination and alienation. Open Doors, founded almost 50 years ago by Brother Andrew, author of the best-selling book God's Smuggler, serves and strengthens the Persecuted Church in the world's most difficult areas through training, Bible and literature distribution, community development and personal encouragement.
The World Watch List is based on evaluations and testimonies obtained by Open Doors' indigenous contacts, field workers and from members of the Persecuted Church.
"North Korea is the most repressed and isolated nation in the world … it certainly deserves its hall of shame ranking on the World Watch List," says Dr. Carl Moeller, president of Open Doors USA. "It breaks my heart to hear some of the atrocities against our brothers and sisters there. Tens of thousands of Christians are among 200,000 prisoners held in politico-labor camps. Yet we hear reports of how the church in North Korea continues to grow Let's continue to lift up the needs of our fellow believers in North Korea and in all the countries on the list."
