July week4 Prayer for North Korea
1.North Korean Soldiers Suffer Casualties Due to Forced Landmine Planting in the DMZ
Article Summary
The Ministry of National Defense announced on the 17th that the North Korean military has recently experienced over 10 landmine explosion incidents, resulting in multiple casualties while attempting to plant landmines and perform other tasks in the northern region of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). Despite the scorching heat and monsoon rains, the North Korean military continues to plant landmines, create wastelands, and install barriers in the frontline area. Currently, about 10% of the 250 km DMZ section is being developed into wasteland, and about 1% of the barrier installation is complete. It is estimated that tens of thousands of additional landmines have been planted.
The North Korean soldiers live in poor conditions, such as temporary tents, and due to a lack of manpower, female soldiers are being deployed, and they work an average of 12-13 hours a day without breaks or shift changes. Our military is preparing preemptive measures and operational activities to counter North Korea’s potential sudden releases of water and landmine dispersal during heavy rains in shared rivers like Hwanggang Dam, Bongrae Lake, Pyeonggang Dam, and Imnam Dam. They emphasize the possibility of North Korean landmines drifting downstream this year and urge special caution around riversides, as leaf mines are difficult to distinguish.
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Prayer Requests
“They set up kings without my consent; they choose princes without my approval. With their silver and gold, they make idols for themselves to their own destruction.” (Hosea 8:4)
○ Pray for the North Korean soldiers who died or were injured in over 10 landmine explosions while working on landmine planting in the northern DMZ section. May they receive mercy.
○ Lord, please intervene so that the North Korean authorities cease dangerous and reckless activities such as landmine planting, wasteland creation, and barrier installation in the DMZ, preventing further sacrifice of precious North Korean soldiers. Let the North Korean dictatorship realize the futility of these measures aimed at preventing defections and bring about gospel reunification so that North Korean residents no longer need to risk their lives to escape, but can instead enjoy liberation, freedom, and the gospel.
○Help our military and civilians devise effective preemptive measures against potential sudden water releases, landmine dispersal, or loss of planted landmines from North Korea during heavy rains in shared rivers. Protect us from any casualties, especially from difficult-to-detect leaf mines, and prevent landmine explosion accidents.
2. North Korean Children Living Abroad Enjoying Freedom Grow 5-10cm Taller
Article Summary
In an interview, Lee Il-gyu, a former political counselor at the North Korean Embassy in Cuba who defected last November, urged Kim Jong-un and the North Korean leadership to follow Cuba's path of transparency while maintaining socialism, rather than shifting allegiances between China and Russia to sustain their regime with nuclear missiles. He praised Cuba as a model nation that respects the UN Charter and international law and said that South Korea’s recent diplomatic relations with Cuba would bring significant political and economic benefits.
Lee noted that the children of North Korean diplomats abroad grow significantly taller, about 5-10 cm more, and have better skin than their peers in Pyongyang. This is partly due to better nutrition but also because they live a stress-free life without being forced into events or unpaid labor like in North Korea. He reflected on whether it is right as a parent to bring children back to North Korea. Lee also mentioned that he frequently watches TV programs featuring North Korean defectors, feeling guilty over the privileges he enjoyed as part of the elite in North Korea. He expressed his deep regret and longing for his colleagues in North Korea and abroad, and he urged them to abandon the "cursed land of darkness" for a brighter world, as North Korea has no future.
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Prayer Requests
“He raises up the needy out of affliction and makes their families like flocks.” (Psalm 107:41)
○ There are increasing cases of North Koreans deciding to defect for the sake of their children's education and future, as seen with Lee Il-gyu, the former political counselor at the North Korean Embassy in Cuba who recently defected to South Korea. Lord, bring about change in North Korea through residents who desire freedom and democracy, such as the Jangmadang generation.
○ Establish proper leaders and governments in North Korea soon. Guide North Korea toward reforms and openness that save its people, and grant the people in the North respect for life and human rights, along with the freedom to practice their faith.
3. U.S. State Department on North Korean Diplomat's Defection: 'Not Surprising... Choosing Human Rights and Freedom is Natural
Article Summary
It was reported on the 16th that Lee Il-gyu, a former political counselor at the North Korean Embassy in Cuba, defected to South Korea with his wife and children last November. The U.S. government stated that this is not surprising. Vedant Patel, Principal Deputy Spokesperson of the U.S. Department of State, said on the 18th that it is not surprising that there are North Korean residents who want to escape the severe repression of the North Korean regime. He stated that it is not surprising that North Korean residents desire to go to a place where basic human rights are protected, and where they have access to democracy, fundamental human principles, and freedom. Lee's defection marks the fourth officially confirmed case of a North Korean diplomat defecting since Kim Jong-un took power, following Thae Yong-ho from the UK in 2016, Jo Song-gil from Italy in 2019, and Ryu Hyun-woo from Kuwait. It was also reported that a family of North Korean diplomats who expressed their intention to defect to the South Korean embassy in France last year is currently in the United States. The number of elite North Korean defectors is increasing, with around 20 entering South Korea last year and this year, according to the Ministry of Unification.
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Prayer Requests
“God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.” (Genesis 45:7)
○ Bless the family of former counselor Lee and other recent defectors. May they all adapt well to South Korean society.
○ Grant that defected North Korean diplomats and other elites who risked their lives for freedom become voices in the international community, raising awareness about the reality in North Korea and advocating for human rights improvements and social reform.
○ May the family of former counselor Lee and other defectors come to believe in Jesus, receive salvation, and experience true freedom and peace. Guide them to live faithful lives and let them be instrumental in achieving the reunification of Korea based on freedom, democracy, and the gospel.
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