North Korea: Faith & Famine

In today's Washington Times there is an interesting article about North Korea titled North Korea: Faith & Famine by Doug Bandow.  After reading it myself, I wanted to highlight a few things for you to see.

Aiding the regime in Pyongyang is more than a political problem. Defense Forum Foundation President Suzanne Scholte recently argued, "North Koreans are by far the most persecuted people in the world."

North Korean repression of religious liberty is particularly harsh. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has published a new report, "A Prison Without Bars," based on interviews with refugees and former security personnel. The details are horrendous.

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Moreover, the threat of punishment is omnipresent, which means any religious believers must risk all. Notes the commission: "It is widely known that there are severe penalties meted out against those discovered practicing banned religions. Many interviewees testified that they had heard about or witnessed severe persecution of persons caught engaging in religious activity."

Refugees cite one tragic case after another. Punishments include "torture, mistreatment, and the disappearance of those suspected of religious activity."

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Despite the horrors visited upon religious believers, faith does survive. It is hard to assess the size of the underground church. Nevertheless, the regime is concerned enough to set up religious sting operations, even creating fake congregations "to attract repatriated refugees who had converted in China and also to infiltrate religious groups in China."

And there is more to the story.  However, please take time to pray today for North Korea and the Christians that are suffering for their faith.