Remember those in prison…
North Korea is currently listed as the country where it is most difficult to live as a Christian. Every day in North Korea’s prison camps, over 30,000 Christians rise before dawn, eat a few mouthfuls of corn porridge and cabbage, and make their way to an assigned workplace. They then spend 15 hours toiling in coal mines, cleaning and maintaining the camp, or doing farm or construction work. In the late evening hours, they return to housing units above their workplace, eat the same meal as before, and fall asleep on concrete floors.
Other Christians are not as fortunate as these. They are locked in torture chambers or underground prisons. They are often caged like animals, forced to stand for hours in tortuous positions, and beaten nearly to death. In all, around 200,000 North Koreans are thought to be detained in prison camps that are not even acknowledged by the oppressive regime.
While Christianity is not explicitly illegal, authorities consider adherence to the Christian faith a political crime. Bringing religious material into the country can result in a prison sentence of at least three months. People caught smuggling Bibles usually just disappear, never to be heard from again. Even helping others is considered a crime, because only the “supreme leaders” (the dictatorial Kim family) show love and compassion to the citizens.
With the situation continually worsening, the church in the west is trying to raise awareness of the terrible conditions Christians are facing in North Korea. Voice of the Martyrs has drafted a letter of confession. You can sign this letter online, or you can print off a hard copy to sign and send in. All letters are being delivered to North Korea’s representative to the United Nations.
You can find the letter here.
Remember people in prison, as though you were in prison with them. — Hebrews 13:3