Testimony of God's Faithfulness in the Life of a North Korean Believer
Below is a testimony sent to The Voice of the Martyrs from Mr. Kim, a North Korean Christian, now living in South Korea.
Living in North Korea, I had no real knowledge about religious activities. Many North Korean people over the age of 60 have heard something about Christianity, but I had not. I had read about Christmas and Jesus in novels, but they were always portrayed in a negative way. I didn’t have a good image of Jesus. I saw a movie about the Korean War that had a scene showing Americans having a Christmas party. I didn’t know it was related to Jesus.
We were taught that religion is the opium of the people, and that pastors were spies of South Korea, trying to bring imperialism to North Korea. I was taught that religion was bad and school text books reinforced this idea, explaining that people from other countries built the hospitals, schools and did all kinds of good deeds for North Korea in order to spy.
Because of this, children are brainwashed and taught that Christianity is bad. North Koreans have hatred for Americans because that is what they are taught through their entire education. I was educated like this, too. I didn’t have a good image of Christianity.
When I was a college student, during winter vacation in January, 1998, I visited my relatives in China and was shocked by what I saw. The conditions overall were better in China, but one thing I really noticed was that people were energetic and had dreams. In North Korea, even college students were depressed and under a lot of pressure. When I returned to North Korea, I couldn’t forget the faces of those in China. Their good quality of life had an impact on me.
I escaped to China in June, 1998. I had heard if you go to churches the members would help. That’s why I went to a church, because I needed help and protection. I went to the Yangbyong area, where a church supported me in various ways, including financially. I also went to a church in Shanghai, where I met a man who was president of a company who offered me a job with his company. He said, “Pretend you are Korean-Chinese and work for me.” I found out later that this man was also an elder in a church. I was positively influenced by this man.
The company I worked for had around 30 people, and almost all of them were Christians. They held a worship service early in the morning before work and also after work. At these services, the president of the company (the church elder) would read verses from the Bible and explain them. At the time, I did not understand anything and I thought to myself, “What are they doing?”
There was much discussion and conflict between the North Koreans and the company president who was Chinese. North Koreans were trying to understand the Bible through their materialist worldview. Finally, the president told them that he couldn’t explain some of the spiritual things they did not understand. There was a lot of debate over many spiritual things.
I spent one and a half years studying tithe Bible, underlining passages and taking notes. I really focused on studying the Bible, and this was the time that I became a Christian. In North Korea, Kim Jong lIl and Kim lIl Sung are portrayed as gods. So all North Koreans really believe that Kim lIl Sung is a god. He has hidden the bad things he has done, to preserve his godlike status to the people. I think 70 to 80 percent of what is said about Kim lIl Sung is similar to the Bible.
While in China, I was arrested by North Korean officers in January, 2000. I was in jail for six months and met one Christian while there. I noticed the man prayed even in jail, so I thought he was stronger in his faith than me. I was released in June, 2000, and taken back to North Korea.
In November, 2000, the Christian brother I worked for in China arranged for eight Christians to escape from North Korea. I was one of them. When we left North Korea it was winter; we left wearing warm clothes, but got rid of these as we journeyed into the warmer southern temperatures. When we crossed the Myanmar border, we prayed together. In Myanmar, we knocked on the door of a home in the village of a minority tribe and asked for help. We reached another village, and we were handed over to another tribe. This happened three times. We noticed each tribe was armed with guns to protect themselves, due to conflicts with neighboring tribes. Finally, we reached the last village before the mountain and river that formed the border between Myanmar and Thailand. We tried to slip through the village unnoticed, but our presence was revealed when dogs began barking. The local people detained us because we were strangers. In the morning, the people of the village got together to find out who we were. We were then taken to a military base camp, where we were interviewed.
A military officer asked us, “Are you from South or North Korea? Which part are you from?” We told them, “We are from the South, in Seoul.” We were really afraid, because this village was very close to the China border, we could be returned to China very easily. They spent two days interviewing us. Then we were set free! I thought that was a miracle. We were brought back to the same village where we were originally arrested. We discovered that the village was a Christian village. The villagers took us to their church. We encouraged each other by showing each other our Bibles in our native languages.
The church held a special service to pray for us. I was curious how the villagers became Christians, because Myanmar is predominantly Buddhist. I was so touched by the prayers of those in the village. Before leaving the village, the villagers made rice balls for each of us and also gave us some clothing and money. They showed us the direct way to the Mekong River, and told us it was the fastest way to get to Thailand. Without a guide, we found our way to the top of a mountain. Near the Mekong, we went to another military base, and we were interviewed again. We were released and took a boat and arrived in Thailand in mid-December, 2000. It took about one month to travel from Myanmar to Thailand.
When we arrived in Thailand, the Korean Embassy requested that the Korean church take care of us. The church had an important role in finding us a place to stay. We went to church every day and studied together. I was baptized at the church in Thailand. During the eight months I spent in Bangkok, Thailand, I experienced a real emptiness, because I had nothing to do. At the time, I appreciated the great role that my faith played in my life. I think this “waiting period” is a really important time in the lives of North Koreans.
I came to South Korea in July, 2001. My experience is not unique. I think that most North Koreans who have escaped to South Korea have been exposed to Christianity in a similar way along their escape route. North Koreans now living in South Korea have had an opportunity to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. In my opinion, Christianity is important for North Korean believers; it will be instrumental in our healing process.