In recent weeks North Korea has been on the front pages of many world newspapers as its government voices threats to the world and attempts to flex its military muscle.

North Korea is one of the nations where VOM works among the persecuted church, and therefore one of the nations featured on VOM's online prayer map. This map, along with VOM's printed Global Report and other resources, allows Christians to learn more about the country in order to pray more effectively and specifically.

Here's the Prayer Map information about North Korea:

DESCRIPTION: North Korea’s isolated regime is the most oppressive in the world. North Koreans are indoctrinated with an ideology called “Juche,” a philosophy of self-reliance that centers on worship of the country’s leaders. Following Kim Jong Il’s death in December 2011, power was transferred to his son, Kim Jong Un. Jong Un seems determined to carry on his father’s duties and policies. North Korea maintains one of the world’s largest standing armies.

CATEGORY: Restricted Nation

RELIGION: Cheondogyo (compulsory state religion) 99.5%, Christian 0.5%

IDEOLOGY: Juche/Communism

HEAD OF STATE: Marshall Kim Jong Un

North Korea is the worst perpetrator of persecution against Christians in the world. Christians are tortured, imprisoned and murdered. Private, non-state-sanctioned religious activity is prohibited. Anyone discovered engaging in clandestine religious activity is subject to arrest, torture or even public execution. Under Juche, the only acceptable religion is Cheondogyo, or “Kim-Il-Sung-ism.” However, the North Korean government is careful to maintain a facade of religious freedom with four “show” churches in its capital city. When Christians are executed, they are typically charged with being spies or being involved in illegal activities. As many as 100,000 believers are thought to worship secretly. Experts estimate that of the hundreds of thousands incarcerated in labor and concentration camps, about 30,000 are Christians. Religious prisoners are typically treated worse than any of the other inmates. Possessing a Bible, saying the words God or Jesus and meeting together are all offences punishable by death. VOM supports radio broadcasts into North Korea and participates in balloon launches that carry the gospel message and literature into the country.

PLEASE PRAY for North Korea, and especially for Christians there. You may also want to explore information and needs for other nations through VOM's online prayer map to help you pray effectively for hostile and restricted nations around the world.

VOM’s Todd Nettleton was interviewed Friday by a reporter from Mission Network News about the current situation in North Korea. Here is the resulting story:

North Korea (VOM/MNN) ― North Korea is setting a megaphone in front of the saber it's rattling.

On Friday, the North Korean government said it would not be able to guarantee the safety of embassies after April 10, and suggested that Russia, China, and Great Britain consider evacuating their diplomats.

Tensions have been on the rise since the United Nations imposed harsher sanctions following Pyongyang's third nuclear test on Feb. 12. The rogue state expressed fury over ongoing U.S.-South Korean military exercises and threatened a nuclear strike against the U.S. It also scrapped the Korean War armistice, began moving missiles, and restarted a plutonium reactor capable of producing more fuel for nuclear bombs.

One concern is that North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-un, has something to prove. He's still tightening his grip on power and is something of a military unknown.

While the situation appears to be serious, governments are playing down the rhetoric from North Korea, assuming it represents yet another tantrum by a regime starving for attention, legitimacy, and economic aid. Spokesman for the Voice of the Martyrs USA Todd Nettleton describes the typical pattern. "The world community makes some concessions. They deliver some food or they lower the sanctions or they deliver some oil, and the crisis magically goes away until the next time North Korea needs something."

Nettleton connected on Friday with VOM contacts working with North Korean Christians. According to them, "When North Korea needs something, when they need concessions, they create a crisis. They do a lot of saber rattling and a lot of press release about how terrible it's going to be for all the aggressors against them."

The situation is still fairly rhetorical. Nettleton says they're taking their cues from their national partners, some of whom are North Korean defectors. He goes on to say that because the poverty and hunger situation is desperate, it's unlikely the threats are little more than talk. He explains, "The surrounding nations are comfortable with the status quo. Maybe at times it's a little irritating, but it is seen as a better alternative than to see the regime fall and North Korea fall into complete chaos with those surrounding nations left to clean up the mess."

North Korea is the worst perpetrator of persecution against Christians in the world. Christians are tortured, imprisoned, and murdered. Private, non-state-sanctioned religious activity is prohibited. Anyone discovered engaging in clandestine religious activity is subject to arrest, torture, or even public execution.

As many as 100,000 believers are thought to worship secretly. Possessing a Bible, saying the words God or Jesus, and meeting together are all offences punishable by death. VOM reports estimate that of the hundreds of thousands incarcerated in labor and concentration camps, about 30,000 are Christians.

Yet there are still requests for help. VOM supports Gospel radio broadcasts into North Korea and participates in balloon launches that carry the hope of Christ into the country. "Pray that North Korean Christians will remain faithful, that they will remain encouraged. The other thing we can pray is for the delivery of Gospel materials, for the these balloons, for these radio broadcasts, for other Gospel work that is going on into North Korea, that the Gospel message will get in there, that it will be received, and that there will be fruit."

Learn more about the history of the church and persecution in North Korea by reading VOM's book, Restricted Nations: North Korea. Order your copy online.

North Korea (MNN) ― For the 10th straight year, North Korea tops the Open Doors World Watch List as the country where Christians face the most severe persecution.

North Korea leader Kim Jong-Un hasn't made any essential changes in the year after the death of his father, Kim Jong-Il. He has been too preoccupied with building his image and tightening security to make changes.

The "Dear Leader" Kim Jong-Il told the people three years ago that in 2012, North Korea would once again be a strong and prosperous country. He died in December of 2011, leaving the country to his son, Kim Jong-Un.

Open Doors USA reports, "The regime tried to model this young leader after his grandfather. His appearance and public speeches mirror North Korea's 'Eternal President.'" There are still many differences. Kim Jong-Un's attendance of performances with Disney figures, female musicians, and an orchestra playing music from a Rocky movie were widely televised. However, the dream of a strong and prosperous nation is still far from reality.

The number of trained North Korean spies in China is growing. Border patrol has been taken over by the National Security Agency, which puts pressure on captured smugglers to disclose information about Christians helping refugees.

In at least one region of North Korea, citizens are pressured to confess their crimes. A person told a reporter from DailyNK.com, "They are gathering people by factory, school, and people's units and telling them to write letters confessing precisely what foreign media they have viewed up to now. When they give you the paper, they warn you, saying they know everything anyway so just write it down: when, where, and what you saw; where and from whom you got it; and your impression of it."

Open Doors contacts that live in North Korea have reported no changes in their circumstances. There is no sign that Kim Jong-Un will improve religious freedom. Some arrested Christians were tortured and then released in order to betray their brothers and sisters or to serve as bait.

One Open Doors co-worker in North Korean said, "It's so dangerous to help Christians who have been released by the government. Some have been tortured so severely they cannot walk anymore. Often we cannot help them, because that would bring too much risk to us. We can pray for them. We know that Jesus will not leave them, nor forsake them."

Pray for the Christians who are being persecuted on a daily basis. Ask God to be with those who are being tortured. Pray that God's Word will continue to be shared.

Source: Mission Network News

Over the weekend as I was remembering the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church, I was reading this brand new book by the Reverend Eric Foley called These Are the Generations.

This is a relatively short book, about 120 pages, that is packed with the inspiring family story of the "Bae" family.  I found myself wanting to savor every word of this book, as I read the inspiring background of the grandfather in this family.

I have to say that reading about the grandfather and how he not only prayed and fasted and heard the voice of the Lord, but then reading about his obedience to what the Lord told him - including burning his families bibles.  It was like reading from the pages of scripture and seeing how the Lord did miracles straight from the bible.  I even got my husband to buy his own copy to read and he did!

I cannot recommend reading this book enough, which is why it's a great time to get the book since it's our current featured book.  Please click here and get your copy today.  I promise you that you will be inspired and challenged in your faith.

Please also remember the North Korean Christians in your prayers today. 

Here's more about the book These Are the Generations:

This powerful book describes God's work in North Korea through three generations of the Bae family, beginning with a family member during World War II and continuing through to his grandson, who was forced to flee after spending a year in a North Korean prison.

Their faith is unique among North Korea believers--it has been carefully passed on to each generation without outside contribution. The Bae family's story provides a rare, first-person account of life for underground Christians in this isolated nations and offers insight into the many hardships belivers have faced since the founding of communist North Korea.

Christians like the Bae family are extremely rare in North Korea. Most North Korean Christians learn about Christ in China or South Korea and take him--and a fair amount of systematic teaching and resources--back with them to North Korea. But the Baes from an altogether different part of the sheep fold. Born of the martyrs, they are among the remnant 7,000 who have not bowed to Baal (1 Kings 19:18). The Baes are heirs to the bold faith of the ancestors, guardians of the gospel in arguably the most idolatrous country in modern history.

"This may sound like a very unusual ending to a story about Christian faithfulness across generations, but North Korea is a very unusual place to be faithful. In North Korea, faithfulness is not something Christians are while they are busy doing other Christians things. It's what they do with their minds and souls and bodies and strength, and it almost always comes at the cost of their lives. So it is a very precious thing, and it means that our stories oftne have unusual beginnings and unusual endings. Like this one." --Mr. Bae

 

Did you know that there are about 100,000 Christians living in North Korea?  Amazing statistic isn't it.  Watch today's CBN News package on the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church and those in North Korea who are followers of Jesus. 

You may read the full story here.  Please watch the video and share it.

 

North Korea (MNN) ― North Korea's new leader has been photographed smiling. He has a wife. He even rode a roller coaster. Don't be fooled, says Voice of the Martyrs USA spokesman Todd Nettleton. "Photographically, he is drawing comparisons--not to his father, Kim Jong Il, but to his grandfather, Kim Il Sung, the founder of North Korea."

What's happening in North Korea is cultivation of an image. "He's doing that in his hair style, he's doing that in his clothing. For us, looking on from the outside, we don't necessarily think that immediately; but to the people of North Korea who ultimately are his audience, they would see that instantly."

A modern face to go with modern ideas? According to contacts working with the Voice of the Martyrs, it's pretty much the opposite. Nettleton explains the connection being made. "This is Kim Il Sung's grandson. This is the founder of our country coming back and taking control and leading us to prosperity and greatness."

The reality is: North Korea faces even more than usual food shortages when drought was followed by devastating floods. Without China's help, mass starvation is likely. Yet, that has done little to challenge the ideology that has shrouded North Korea in secrecy. Nettleton explains "The government is built on the idea of 'juche,' which is their word for 'self-reliance' and really, it is a religious system that is designed to deify the leaders."

The other thing to remember is that the people behind the scenes have not changed. The generals who installed Kim Jong Un as leader are still controlling the strings. Promises of reform are misleading, at best.

Nettleton doesn't think much will change for Christians, either. "When you say 'I'm a Christian,' it's not just the wrong religion: you're really undermining the government. It's really a treasonous thing to say 'I'm not following juche. I'm not worshiping our leaders. I'm following Jesus Christ.'"

Already the most hostile country in which to live and practice the Christian faith, there are still reports of Christians being arrested. According to Open Doors, it's thought that at least a quarter of the nation's believers are languishing in labor camps for their refusal to worship founder Kim Il-Sung's cult.

Anyone with "another god" is automatically persecuted, which is why the 200,000-400,000 Christians in this country must remain deeply underground. Traditional discipleship and evangelism methods do not exist in the totalitarian regime.

However, Nettleton says they've found other creative ways to float the Gospel into North Korea...literally. "We have been sending balloons into North Korea for decades. It's based on some of the technology developed for weather balloons. We can now actually attach a full New Testament to a balloon to float it across into North Korea."

Although many crews pick up the balloons and dispose of the literature, Nettleton says it's still working. "We are hearing stories of these balloons and these New Testaments reaching people and changing lives." Keep praying that the seeds of God's Word will be planted deeply and take root.

Source: Mission Network News

Earlier today on our The Voice of the Martyrs Facebook page we shared a little bit about how North Korea tells people that there is poison on the balloons that come into North Korea from South Korean.  North Korea is a restricted nation and persecutes Christians constantly.  Please pray for believers in North Korea and also for the efforts of the ministry of VOM that the balloons that are delivering the word of God will get into the hands of those who will cherish them.

If you haven't joined our Facebook page, please click here to join today.

A few days ago we let you know about a special offer that The Voice of the Martyrs is offering for the month of June, to anyone who donates to us and specifies their donation to help our ministry in North Korea.

For a limited time, when you give to help us in North Korea, where Christians are severely persecuted, we'll send you a book called Restricted Nations: North Korea (while supplies last).

Click here to give your most generation donation today, before the end of June.

To learn more about North Korea, please visit our Restricted Nations page and pray accordingly.

Receive a free copy of Restricted Nations: North Korea with your contribution to VOM's North Korea fund.

Brother Jo, a former member of the Communist Party in North Korea, recently completed a year of Bible study and special training in preparation for gospel outreach work to his homeland. After escaping from North Korea, Jo realized he had been part of the great deception taught by the country's leaders. He once believed that the late communist dictators Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il were, respectively, god and the son of god, but Jo read the Bible for himself and met the real Savior, Jesus Christ.

Immediately after completing his training, Jo joined workers along the North Korean border launching Scripture balloons produced by The Voice of the Martyrs. After proceeding to Russia, he began outreach work at the train station, where North Korean immigrant workers disembark. Jo has one mission in mind—sharing with his countrymen the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. You can read his testimony here.

“Please pray for me. I know I am on God's path. I know it is dangerous. But I risked my life when I didn't even know God. How much more should I be willing to now?”

—Brother Jo

Please click the link below to contribute to VOM's work in North Korea. Your contributions will be used to train and support workers like Jo, to distribute Scripture and to support evangelism and other projects that cannot be disclosed. When you make a contribution on or before June 30, 2012, The Voice of the Martyrs will include a FREE copy of Restricted Nations: North Korea (while supplies last).

CLICK HERE TO GET YOURS TODAY!

One of the most restricted nations and oppressive nations to live in for Christians is North Korea.

North Korea has been on the World Watch list for years as one of the worst countries that treats Christians horrible. Christians are in labor camps and treated horribly.  So, we must keep praying for North Korea and reaching out to North Korea in creative ways.

This month, we are offering readers the opportunity to support our covert work in North Korea. While the details of this work must remain secret to protect our workers, it includes discipleship, training, evangelism and the smuggling of Bibles and Christian materials.

Everyone who contributes to The Voice of the Martyrs on or before May 31, 2012, will receive a North Korea Scripture balloon. One side of the balloon includes the text of Romans chapters 6 through 8, and the other side has a series of illustrations that shares the Good News.

If you are unable to contribute, you may also request one of these balloons by calling (800) 747-0085. We hope these balloons will serve as visible reminders to pray for North Korean Christians and the workers who support them.

Thank you for partnering with us in providing assistance to persecuted believers.

In order to donate, please click here.  Thank you for your support!