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Serv
ing
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he
per
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ted
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ince
200
3
INSIDE
The First Christian Martyrs
Fake Christians
Evangelism
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The history of Christianity in
North Korea is nothing short of
fascinating.
When Kim Sung-Il had the
outlandish idea to wipe
Christianity in North Korea out,
he invented the atheist Juche
religion of self-reliance. It was, in fact, simply
Christianity repackaged with himself and his family -
rather than The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as
revealed in Scripture - at the center.
Christians have been on the run ever since.
Its easy, when sitting on our comfortable
couches in other countries, to look at North Korean
Christian practice and scoff at them. Jesus says we
should confess Him before men as the requisite for
Him confessing us before the Father. Persecuted
Christians should be bold for their faith, even if it
costs them their lives.
Oh, that we would be so bold as one of these
persecuted believers!
The truth is, persecuted Christians living in
North Korea do confess Christ as Lord before
others. They just dont do it the same way that we
in the West do.
And they shouldnt. Every generation of
Christians must take seriously the task of discerning
Gods will for evangelism in their time and place.
Our job, as brothers and sisters, is to pray fervently
for NK Christians; and trust God to use their faithful
witness to bring others to him.
Then, we should come together and commit to
exposing the record of North Korean oppression.
We should collect, preserve, and share the
testimonies of underground Christians.
Let it be your goal, just as it is mine, to enable
other Christian believers, and the general public
around the world, to come to a greater
understanding of the past and present witness set
by Christians in North Korea.
CO
NTENTS
P R O D U C E D B Y S E O U L U S A
U.S. Office
14960 Woodcarver Road
Colorado Springs, CO 80921
Phone: 719-481-4408
Seoul Office
236-1 Duck Seong Building 1st Floor
Mapo-dong Mapo-Gu Seoul, Korea
Phone: 02-2065-0703
From the Editor
martyr [mahr-ter]
a witness who testifies to a fact of which he has knowledge from
personal observation.
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3
Pre-1945
Its hard to believe that
Christianity was first introduced to
the Korean peninsula through the
North, not the South.
But its true.
A prayer meeting at the First
Church of Pyonyang in 1907 sent a
massive revival rippling through the
Korean Peninsula. William Blair, a
missionary who at the meeting,
later described it as The Korean
Pentecost.
Pyongyang came to be known as
the Jerusalem of the East.
But things slowly started to
change in the late 1920s. After the
Korean church had surrendered to
the Japanese Empires oppression,
imperial shrines were setup and
worship was mandatory. One
Christians daring boycott cost him
his life.
This set off a
chain reaction of
Christian churches
who resisted the
Japanese forced worship. But their
strength proved to be too little; 200
churches were shut down and 2,000
Christians were arrested and
imprisoned.
Still, by 1941 North Korea had a
Christian population of about
300,000, according to South Korean
government statistics.
50 the number of Christians
martyred in NK during
this time period.
estab l ish ing
After the liberation of Korea,
most Christians in the North
objected to the communist
government under the Soviets
support. Yet, the Christians held so
much influence, it would be
impossible to establish a communist
North Korea without their support.
At first, Kim Sung-
Il attempted to
expand oppressive
measures against
Christians. When
that didnt work out, he turned
instead to clever manipulation.
Under the guise of collaboration
with Christian leaders he began to
exert his control over the church.
With their help, he outlawed only
those activities which disturbed
others; and eventually singing
hymns became a crime.
In 1946 the North
Korean government began to attack
the financial base of the Christian
church via the Land Reform Act.
Under this law, the government
possessed land that was owned by
others, without compensation, and
distributed it according to the
needs of the State.
In 1948, the oppression of
Christians took the form of
nationalization of key industries,
ensuring only those loyal to the
state could possess the most
desirable jobs.
0 the number of Christians
martyred in NK during
this time period.
1945-1950
Sources Used in This Issue: Voice of the Martyrs data, North
Korean
Christian History After the Liberation of Korea, North Korean
Christian History
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the By the time the Korean War
broke out in June of 1950, the North
Korean government had already
launched its own attack on
Christians. Party members arrested
those who participated in church
and searched Christian homes
frequently in order to find religious
materials.
Offenders were
treated as seditious
and detained.
After the war was
underway, the
government
increased their persecution of the
North Korean Christians ,
slaughtering any who pledged their
allegiance to Jesus Christ. Many
Christians were murdered during
this time, while others managed to
escape to South Korea.
In the absence of Christians, the
authorities either demolished
religious structures or repurposed
them for the State.
Those believers who remained
began to practice their faith
underground.
1950-1953
10,000+ the number of Christians martyred
in NK during this time period.
1954-
1960
After being defeated in the
Korean War, Kim Sung-Il and the
members of his party turned their
attention to their political enemies,
giving Christians slight reprieve. But
in 1953, North Korea began
refinement instruction with the
purpose of replacing all religious
education with the instruction of
the Juche philosophy.
At its core, Juche is a distortion
of Christianity. Both have, as the
center of their veneration, a trinity.
For Christians, that trinity is the
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. For
North Korean communists, it is Kim
Sung-Il, his son Kim Jong-il, and his
wife Kim Jung-Sook. Both
Christianity and Juche adhere to the
teachings of sacred
texts; Christians
have the Bible and
NK communists
the writings and
teachings of Kim Il-
Sung. Adherents of
both meet weekly,
sing hymns, and
believe in they will
spend eternity
with the objects of
their worship.
It is no surprise that Christianity
came to be seen as the biggest
threat to Juches success. So when
NK government officials began
persecuting Christians for being
guilty of rejecting government
philosophy, they quickly came to be
known as the opposition.
Kim Sung-Il turned his full
attention on eradicating Christians
and only those who began to
practice underground were able to
THE
North Koreans bow in reverence before a statue of North Koreas
Dear Father, Kim Sung-Il
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5
live another day to practice their
faith.
Anti-Christian sentiment began
to spread in North Korea as the
Juche philosophy took root. In 1959,
a number of books were published
as part of the governments anti-
religion propaganda campaign. One
book, titled Why Do We Deny
Religion? says this,
For the last three years, the
Chosun War and the South
Chosun War were
triggered in Gods
name and led by
Americans who
caused massacre,
arson and plunder
through inhumane actions. This
is proof that religion is the cause
of all these things.
With the publishing of these anti-
religion books, most formal church
activity ceased. During this time,
authorities continued to investigate
residents throughout the country in
order to identify religious people
and classify them as counter-
revolutionaries, forced to live in
designated ghettos.
5,000 the number of Christians martyred
in NK during this time period.
At the end of the
1950s, it appeared as
though religious activity
had all but disappeared.
But the communists
knew that were more
Christians living among
them, undetected. They warned
against believing in God and relying
on his power; such thinking would
lead to the collapse of communism
and the demise of the North Korean
people.
Throughout the 1960s North
Korean Christians decreased in
number with the majority now
practicing underground. On the
surface, it seemed as if there was
neither a Christian or church
anywhere to be found; Chrisitianity
had become a deserted faith.
Of course, the underground
church was still alive and active,
resisting the movement of the North
Korean government.
During the 1970s, Christians
were treated harshly as political
criminals. As the objects of
intentional and direct persecution,
many were detained
in prison camps.
Government
authorities did not
stop searching for
surviving Christians and whenever
they were found, they were isolated
from society. According to the
civilian registration project, North
Koreans were divided into 51
classes. The code number for a
Protestant Christian was 42. For a
Catholic, it was 44. This enabled to
communists to distinguish the
surveillance levels accordingly.
Despite this being one of the
hardest time periods for Christians,
it was also a period of significant
transformation for the underground
church. In the absence of formal
churches and pastors, normal
Christians adapted to a new form of
life and church.
The majority of Christians
adapted to worshipping in secret,
either alone or in a house church.
Their persecution of Christians
was not something the North
Korean government wanted to get
out. In an effort to deceive the
outside world, North Korea
proclaimed that they protected
the freedom of religion. As proof,
they pointed to the Chosun
Christianity Federation, which is
led by a relative of Kim Il-Sung
and is controlled by the
government.
2,000
1960-1980
the number
of Christians
martyred in NK during this time.
Sources Used in This Issue: The Interchange of North and South
Christianity, North Korean
Church Reconstruction and Mission Strategy, Chosun Government
Statistics Annual Report
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Between 1980 and 1990, most
of the underground churches were
detected and dissolved. Those who
had come to believe in Christ prior
to 1953 and succeeded living as
underground Christians were aging.
The average age for a Christian
during this time was over 60.
In the early 1980s,
the government run
Christian Federation
operated a fake
church to deceive
foreign visitors into
thinking that Christians were
able to freely practice their
religion. In 1984, they
translated and printed a small
number of Bibles and a hymnal.
Four years later, they completed the
faade with a church building and
began holding Christmas and Easter
services.
They announced that there
were 5,000 Christians and 500
churches throughout the country,
but it was a lie. They emphasized
the existence of Christianity only
when it was valuable to outsiders;
drawing the support of international
religous organizations. Internally,
however, they isolated Christian
citizens in concentration camps and
continued to teach Juche as the new
state religion.
1980-1990
the number of
Christians
martyred in NK
during this time
period.
200
Most North Korean Christians
moved to South Korea during the
Korean War and only a few
underground Christians remained.
But without any guidance on faith,
their Christian belief became
increasingly reliant on personal
interpretation and even devolved
into mysticism in some cases.
The hope for evangelism in
North Korea began when China
became a more open country.
The Norths fake Christian
leaders met with Christian leaders
from the South to discuss unification
and evangelism. The discussion
never resulted in the Gospel being
shared with North Koreans.
Fortunately, being motivated by
South Korean missionaries, ethnic
Korean Christians living in China
went into North Korea to share the
gospel.
During a period of famine in the
late 1990s, intense suffering drove
hundreds of thousands of people to
leave North Korea for China and
Russia where Christian missionaries
led them to faith in Christ.
Many became faithful Christians
dedicated to rebuilding the North
Korean church. The number of
underground Christians multiplied
during this decade.
Several mission centers were
established at the Chinese border in
Hamkyungbuk-do, Jagang-do, and
Pyoungyangbuk-do. North Koreans
1990-2000
Sources Used in This Issue: Church Distribution in North Korea
Region before the Liberation
of Korea, North Korean Christianity Structure, Monthly Chosun,
Chosun Newspaper
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7
who came to China temporarily
were evangelized by Chinese
Koreans in these mission centers.
But with the multiplication of
North Korean Christians came the
multiplication of martyrs for the
faith. North Korean government
authorities arrested new Christians
for espionage upon their return to
North Korea.
Using information
obtained from fear-
filled neighbors,
Interior Department
members captured
North Korean Christians.
After their investigations, the
victim was either executed or sent
to a prison camp.
People around the world began
discovering that, despite their
claims, there was no freedom of
religion in North Korea.
Underground North Korean
Christians have begun to evangelize
in earnest, even under tremendous
pressure and suffering. In one
instance, the families of 10
Christians were executed by firing
squad for treason and the rest of
the families were sent to prison
camp. They were martyred for
supplying Bibles to North Koreans.
Through China and Russias
increasing openness to economic
cooperation and visitation from
other countries, the total number of
North Korean Christians has
increased to 400,000 in China,
Russia, South Korea, North Korea,
and the other countries where
North Koreans labor or pass
through. Still, it is impossible for NK
Christians to admit their faith openly
anywhere except South Korea.
There are about 20,000 NK
refugees today and less than 1% of
them have personal knowledge of
the existence of Christians in North
Korea.
The estimated number of
Christians inside North Korea is
around 100,000 according to
refugees and missionaries traveling
between China and North Korea.
Most of the Christian leaders in
North Korea learn
about the Christian
faith in China. They
learn about the Bible
near the Chinese border and return
to North Korea with Bibles, hymnals,
MP3 players, CDs, and USBs with
Christian materials on them; and
shortwave radios tuned to pick up
illegal Christian broadcasts during
the night. When their faith is
exposed, they are executed for sent
to prison camp.
The border between North
Korea and China is, in truth, a
spiritual war zone as North
Korean communists do all that is
within their power to stop
Christian missionaries.
Underground Christians in
North Korea have limited
understanding of the Bible, but
the little they do know, theyre
willing to stake their lives on.
2000-Present
the number of
Christians
martyred in NK
during this time
period.
300
500 the number of Christians martyred
in NK during this time period.
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The Min is t ry of Seou l USA Hebrews 13:3 - Continue to
remember those in prison as if you were together with them in
prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were
suffering.
Please Pray For
Underground University (UU) a seminary training North Korean
defectors to be called and set apart for missionary service
wherever the North Korean church is found.
Underground Technology (UT), where North Korean women receive
training from local and global Christian leaders in the areas of
leadership, study, life skills, character development, and
Christian spirituality.
Balloon Launch Ministry as we send fliers containing Underground
University students testimonies as well as portions of the gospel
via balloon to NK.
PREQUIP as we oversee John Maxwells leadership training program
with North Korean missionaries.
True Voice of the Martyrs (TVOM), our daily radio broadcast
which disciples North Korean Christians via shortwave radio
signal.
Bibles Unbound as we provide Bibles to people living in
countries hostile to Gods Word.
Proclaimer ministry, as we partner with Faith Comes by Hearing
to provide Proclaimer New Testaments for free to missionaries.
Martyrs Museum, where a display chronicling the reality of North
Korea underground churches and the history of martyrdom is
held.
Providing and printing VOMs bestsellers in North and South
Korean editions and North Korean dialect Bibles.
Seoul USA serves as a bridge between the Korean church (both
North and South) and the church in the rest of the world. We bring
the gifts of the Korean church to the church in the West and the
gifts of the church in the West to the Korean church. We have a
particular focus on mobilizing the church around the world to
support the underground church of North Korea through our voice of
the Martyrs Korea ministry.
We are members of the International Christian Association,
composed of independently operated Voice of the Martyrs ministries
actively working to support persecuted Christians in 52
countries.
In Korea:
If you would like to receive this newsletter or volunteer with
Seoul USA or learn about our resources designed to prepare churches
and Christians to face persecution, contact us at:
236-1 Duck Seong Building 1 Floor, Mapo-dong Mapo-Gu, Seoul
Korea
Telephone: 02-2065-0703
Email: [email protected]
Web: vomkorea.co.kr and seoulusa.co.kr
To support this work financially from Korea:
Hana Bank: 176-910014-41104
Account Holder: VOM Korea
In the U.S.
You can financially support this work with a designated donation
to North Korea via Voice of the Martyrs U.S. at 877-337-0302.
American churches or Christians seeking information on resources
designed to prepare themselves to face persecution personally,
please contact us at 719-481-4408 or [email protected] or
visit us on the web at www.seoulusa.org
