Name: North Korea
Source of Persecution: Dictatorial Paranoia and (Post) Communist Oppression
Rank: #1 on the World Watch List
North Korea is arguably the most dangerous place on earth to follow Jesus. If someone is discovered to be a Christian, the consequences are unimaginably stark: either imprisonment in one of its notorious labor camps, with little hope of release, or immediate execution. The same fate is likely to await other family members.
While the church buildings displayed in the capital Pyongyang might suggest a degree of tolerance, this is propaganda. The reality is very different. Christianity has no place in North Korea, a country where homage must be directed one way only: toward the Kim regime. With watchful eyes everywhere – even from neighbors and family – even the slightest hint of worshipping Jesus can have devastating consequences. Remarkably, believers do gather, but in utmost secrecy and at enormous risk.
Recent years have seen conditions worsen further for North Korea’s secret believers. This is largely due to the “anti-reactionary thought law,” introduced in 2020, which made it even clearer that being a Christian and owning a Bible is regarded as a serious crime. The law has reinforced just how much of a threat Christianity is seen to be by the country’s unbending regime.
Prayer Points
- Pray for Kim Jong-un and his family. Ask God to change their hearts – knowing that He did the same for the apostle Paul.
- Communities of faith in North Korea are often small gatherings of families or close friends. Pray that God would protect these beautiful expressions of His church, and that these believers would sense God’s perfect peace.
- Pray for those believers in North Korea affected by a lack of food, that God would help them find the food they need. Pray that they would be given opportunities to wisely share the Gospel by caring for others in similar circumstances.