1.Farms Mobilize to Restore Flooded Farmlands, Even Enlisting Farmers' Teenage Children

▶ ▶ Article Summary

At the end of last month, significant damage occurred in the border areas of North Pyongan Province, where farmland was submerged. In response, farms are now mobilizing all available manpower to restore the affected agricultural land. Some farms are subtly pressuring farmers to bring their children to help with the restoration work. According to sources, a few zealous individuals have already brought their young children to the fields to replant waterlogged crops like rice and corn. This has created an atmosphere where other farmers feel compelled to follow suit, reluctantly bringing their children along as well. The children involved in the work are mostly teenagers aged 13 to 17, and since the work typically begins at dawn, parents are reportedly feeling a mix of guilt and shame as they struggle to wake their sleepy children early in the morning and drag them to the fields. The parents are said to be saddened and resentful that their children, already burdened with planting, weeding, and the fall harvest, are now being forced to participate in flood recovery efforts in the height of summer. The Rodong Sinmun and other sources reported that nearly 3,000 hectares (approximately 9 million pyeong) of farmland in Sinuiju City and Uiju County, North Pyongan Province, were flooded, though the actual scale of the damage is likely even greater.

▶ ▶ Prayer Points

“He will defend the afflicted among the people and save the children of the needy; he will crush the oppressor.” (Psalm 72:4)

• Pray for the North Korean people who are suffering due to summer floods, and have mercy on the young teenagers in the North who are being forced into physically demanding labor to restore farmlands from the early hours of the morning.
• Pray that all forms of child labor exploitation, which are rampant in North Korea, will be eradicated.
• Pray for the successful recovery of North Korean crops damaged by recent floods. May the Lord personally watch over the impoverished North Korean people so they do not suffer from food shortages.

2. North Korean Flood Recovery 'Shock Troops' Resort to Theft to Secure Food and Shelter

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Despite Kim Jong-un’s personal encouragement, the "Paektu Mountain Hero Youth Shock Troops," dispatched to the flood recovery site in North Pyongan Province, are exacerbating the suffering of local residents due to their inability to secure proper food and shelter. These youth shock troops, also mobilized for the construction of 50,000 housing units in Pyongyang, were sent to the flood-stricken areas of Sinuiju and Uiju on August 7th and 8th, as flood recovery became a national priority. The troops were stationed on several islands, including Gurido and Wihwado, which had been submerged by the floods. Upon arrival, their first task was to construct temporary lodgings, but due to a lack of state-supplied materials, they scavenged wood and bricks from collapsed homes to build makeshift shelters. The situation is even more dire when it comes to food. While it is officially expected that the shock troops should independently manage their accommodation and meals when dispatched for construction or flood recovery, in reality, they have been resorting to nighttime theft, stealing fuel and vegetables from private homes in unaffected areas. As the flood recovery began, the shock troops quickly turned into thieves, leading local residents to complain that the authorities have created a "village of thieves" by dispatching these young people without proper support.

▶ ▶ Prayer Points

“From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind; from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth.” (Psalm 33:13-14)

• Pray for mercy on the North Korean people suffering under the irresponsible regime of the Kim Jong-un dictatorship, which has deployed the "Paektu Mountain Hero Youth Shock Troops" to flood-stricken areas with instructions to fend for themselves, leading to a surge in theft and social unrest. The regime squanders national resources on nuclear weapons, missiles, and maintaining a deified leader cult, while neglecting to build a social safety net for its people.
• Pray for the protection of North Korean residents who have lost their homes in the flood-affected areas, asking for their safety, health, and well-being.
• Pray for the establishment of a normal leadership and government in North Korea that prioritizes the lives, rights, and well-being of its citizens, ensuring their basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter are met.

3. Legal Protection for North Korean Defectors' Children Born in Third Countries: Special College Admissions and Tuition Support

▶ ▶ Article Summary

On August 8th, the Ministry of Unification announced plans to strengthen the legal protection system for children of North Korean defectors born in third countries, who have been in a "blind spot" of protection. These children, who make up over 70% of all North Korean defectors' children in South Korea, have previously been excluded from legal protection because they were not born in North Korea, leading to criticism that they are "institutional invisibles." To address this, the ministry plans to amend the North Korean Refugees Protection and Settlement Support Act to include "children born in third countries" in the definition of North Korean defectors, allowing them to receive protection equivalent to that of North Korean-born defectors. Additionally, the amendment will enable these children to have their educational background recognized through the same procedures as North Korean-born children, and they will be included in the targets for educational and childcare support. Once the law is revised, children of North Korean defectors born in third countries will also be eligible for special college admissions and tuition support. Until now, children born in third countries who entered South Korea after the age of 18 had to take qualification exams to have their education recognized, as their academic credentials from China or other birthplaces were not acknowledged.

▶ ▶ Prayer Points

“The Lord watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.” (Psalm 146:9)

• We give thanks that the law is being amended to allow children of North Korean defectors born in third countries, who have been in a blind spot of the system, to receive educational and childcare support benefits equivalent to those provided to North Korean defectors, including special college admissions and tuition support.
• Pray that all children of North Korean defectors, including those born in third countries, will be welcomed into our society, receive stable education and support, and grow to become leaders who will guide a unified Korea.
• Pray that North Korean defector youth will hear the gospel, receive salvation, and find true freedom and life in the truth. May they understand God’s calling and mission for them and be used greatly for a unified Korea.