Defectors’ descriptions add to evidence of strong but severely persecuted church.
DUBLIN, April 24 (Compass Direct News) – Even as the North Korean government this month allowed two high-profile, U.S. Christian bands to perform at a music festival in Pyongyang, the fear of punishment authorities have instilled in North Korean Christians keeps most of them from publicly revealing their faith. As many as 400,000 Christians are estimated to worship secretly in the country, and Suzanne Scholte, head of the North Korean Freedom Coalition (NKFC), estimates that more than 200,000 North Koreans are held in political prison camps for various perceived “disloyalties” to the regime, including adherence to Christianity. Christian support group Open Doors estimates that of the 200,000 people incarcerated in political prison camps, at least 40,000 are Christians. A delegation of North Korean refugees described their experiences in preparation for events in Washington, D.C. on Sunday (April 26) through Saturday (May 2) as part of North Korea Freedom Week, organized by the NKFC. “A lot of people ask me if there really are people in North Korea who believe in Christ,” said Eom Myong-Heui, a refugee who is now an assistant pastor at a large church in Seoul, South Korea. “Do you really think that the missionaries who were there and all the believers who meet underground are all dead?”
