North of the 38th Parallel

One of my coworkers recently shared some information he learned from book Jasper Beckett wrote about North Korea. On August 10, 1945, a few U.S. colonels were given 30 minutes to decide the Korean border after the peninsula was taken from Japan. They decided on the 38th parallel, and the Soviets agreed. This border remained until the end of the Korean War, when a new demarcation line was drawn in 1950.

As you can see, part of the area that was formerly North Korea is now South Korea. My coworker spent some time in this area. He was able to visit the former Labor Party Headquarters, which was built between 1945 and 1950 by conscripted labor. After the war, remains of bodies and skeletons were found behind the building. He compared the feeling the building gave him to what he imagines it would feel like to visit one of Germany’s concentration camps. Today, the building stands in shambles and is a sad reminder of the War.

It struck me that the remains of spiritual darkness still exist in an area that was only temporarily part of North Korea. Today, we know unimaginable oppression exists on the northern side of that demarcation line drawn in 1950.

Please pray for the entire Korean peninsula. Pray for areas of South Korea that are still feeling the effects of war and spiritual darkness. Pray consistently for Christians in North Korea, who are trying to spread the light of the gospel through the most closed country on the face of the earth.