August 2nd week Prayer for North Korea

1. North Korea Prayer (1) 
Residents' Reaction to Watching the Military Parade: "Foreign Currency Spent on Weapons"

◆ Article Summary
As North Korea held a large-scale military parade on July 27th to mark the 70th anniversary of the Korean War armistice, it was reported that residents who watched the parade on TV couldn't hide their discomfort. A Daily NK source from North Pyongan Province stated, "The residents are barely surviving each day due to a hellish life with nothing to eat. Despite this, the country continues to showcase new weapons at the military parade without caring about the lives of these residents. They only showcase military power, leaving no choice but to receive unfavorable glances." Goo Byeong-sam, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Unification, criticized North Korea's recent series of ballistic missile launches and large-scale military demonstrations, saying, "Despite North Korea's disregard for the lives of its residents, as well as concerns and warnings from us and the international community, we condemn their actions. We express strong regret over North Korea's insistence on nuclear development and confrontation rather than seeking denuclearization and peace." 
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◆ Prayer Topics:
"They have set up kings, but not by Me; they have appointed leaders, but without My knowledge. With silver and gold they make idols for themselves, that they may be cut off." (Hosea 8:4)

• Please supply daily sustenance to the hungry North Koreans and protect their lives and health until the day they can freely believe in Jesus through the Gospel Unification.
• Let righteous leaders rule in North Korea who will halt nuclear and missile development, military provocations, and prioritize the lives and well-being of their citizens.

2. North Korea Prayer (2) 
“Forced Labor Products from North Korea's Foreign Currency Earning Industries: Wigs, Eyelashes, Prisoner Labor”

◆ Article Summary
Daily NK sources reported on the 1st that North Korea's largest export, processed goods, is produced through forced labor in detention facilities. Items like wigs, eyelashes, bead crafts, hand-knitted hats, clothing, and tablecloths, constituting 20-30% of processed goods, are produced by detainees in re-education camps or political prisoner camps. The authorities exploit their labor for foreign currency earnings. The Social Safety Re-education Bureau and the National Defense Farm Management Office receive orders from China, manage the supply of raw materials, distribution of work, processing, and exports. Unlike private companies, 100% of the income goes to the government. The initial processing of wigs receives around 4,500 to 8,900 won from China, making it a high-income labor job within North Korea. Assuming detainees produce 20% of processed goods, North Korea earned a minimum of $4.788 million from their forced labor in a single month in May. 70% of this income is attributed to the government, and the remaining 30% benefits social safety and national defense. Detainees work for over 12 hours a day, and if they fail to complete their quotas, they are forced into nighttime work. The International Labor Organization (ILO), which prohibits forced labor, pointed out North Korea's issue of forced labor within detention facilities in a report last year. However, North Korea is not an ILO member and has not responded to these criticisms.
[Read more]

◆ Prayer Topics:
"On that day, the burden will be lifted from your shoulders, and the yoke from your neck. The yoke will be broken because you have grown so fat." (Isaiah 10:27)

• The North Korean dictatorship exploits the labor of residents confined in detention facilities under the dire human rights situation, producing processed goods, and using them as significant export items. Please have mercy on the North Koreans who live like modern-day slaves in North Korea, the world's number one country in the 2023 Global Slavery Index. Remove their heavy burdens and yokes, and quickly grant them a day of liberation and freedom as if in a dream.
• May the South Korean church not turn a blind eye to the fact that our fellow North Korean citizens are living as modern-day slaves in North Korea. May they boldly raise their voices for the freedom, life, and human rights of North Korean residents. Let the global church unite and call out in prayer, so that the salvation of body and soul for our North Korean compatriots can be swiftly achieved.

3. North Korea Prayer (3) 
“China Must Recognize the Refugee Status of North Korean Defectors and Halt Forced Repatriation”

◆ Article Summary
On the 31st, the National Movement Headquarters for Investigating Forced Repatriation of North Korean Defectors, the Esther Prayer Movement, and other organizations held a press conference in front of the Chinese Embassy in Seoul. Assemblyman Ji Sung-ho (People Power Party), who declared he had come to this gathering with a heavy heart and a determined mind, urged China, a signatory of the UN Refugee Convention, to allow North Korean defectors to live freely in the place they want to go, without repatriation. Rev. Im Hyun-soo (President of TMTC), who was detained in the past in North Korea and later released, stated that the moment defectors are repatriated, their lives cannot be guaranteed. He appealed to the South Korean government and the United Nations to take immediate action to prevent repatriation. He urged the President and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to actively protect over 2,600 North Korean defectors who are our citizens, emphasizing that they must prevent repatriation. Professor Lee Yong-hee (President of the Esther Prayer Movement) conveyed the testimonies of North Korean defectors who revealed that pregnant women subjected to forced repatriation might face forced abortion or infanticide. Particularly, those who had visited churches or possessed a Bible in China might be accused of espionage and sent to political prisoner camps or even executed if repatriated to North Korea. She appealed, "May the conscience of the world rise together." The organizers called on China, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council and a member of the UN Human Rights Council, to fulfill its responsibilities for world peace. They also urged active support for North Korean defectors to be able to come to the Republic of Korea in accordance with the UN Refugee Convention and the Convention against Torture.
[Read more]
 
◆ Prayer Topics:
"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute." (Proverbs 31:8)

• Reveal the situation of the 2,600 detained North Korean defectors in China by the media to make the world aware. Awake the conscience of people worldwide to shout out against forced repatriation. Mobilize the South Korean church and the global church to fervently pray and take a leading role in this matter.
• As we approach the opening ceremony of the Hangzhou Asian Games on September 23rd, guide the South Korean government to wisely utilize this sensitive time when China is under international criticism. May the South  Korean government invest its best efforts during this golden time to persuade China not to forcibly repatriate the 2,600 detained North Korean defectors, but to recognize them as UN refugees. Thus, may they be allowed to enter the Republic of Korea.