Jan week4, 2025 Prayer for North Korea

1. Open Doors: "North Korea, Again the Worst Country for Christian Persecution This Year"

In September 2017, during a Christian prayer meeting held in Chaoyang, Liaoning Province, China, a North Korean woman reads the Bible. /AP

▶ ▶ Summary of the Article

The international Christian organization "Open Doors" announced on the 15th that North Korea was ranked as the worst country for Christian persecution in its "World Watch List 2025." Except for 2022, North Korea has topped this list for over 20 years since the survey began. The report explains that being caught practicing Christian faith in North Korea can lead to execution or imprisonment in political prison camps, where individuals endure years of hard labor as punishment. It also states that defectors forcibly repatriated to North Korea face severe punishment if it is discovered that they heard the Gospel or interacted with Christians while in China. The report highlights the difficulty of escaping North Korea due to tightened border surveillance in the border areas between North Korea and China.

Additionally, it mentions human rights abuses, including reports of about 30 middle school students publicly executed for watching South Korean dramas stored on USB drives, and people sentenced to re-education through labor for collecting plastic bottles containing rice from South Korea. The report points out that the North Korean regime imposed stricter regulations and crackdowns early last year, intensifying fear among its citizens. It criticizes Kim Jong-un and his family for leading a luxurious life while the majority of North Korean citizens suffer from hunger and hardship.

[2025.01.15. RFA / Read Article: https://iii.im/hdXg]

▶ ▶ Prayer Topics

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: 'For your sake, we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.' No, in all these things, we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us." (Romans 8:35-37)

• North Korea has been ranked as the world's worst country for Christian persecution for the 23rd year in a row. Lord, we thank You for leaving a remnant in the land of North Korea who call on Your name despite the severe surveillance and control. May the Gospel of Jesus spread further through the underground believers in the North, and please guard and protect these believers and their places of worship as the apple of Your eye.
• Grant the underground believers in North Korea the faith to triumph abundantly through the love of Christ until they receive the crown of righteousness. May the churches in South Korea, overseas Korean churches, and the global church remember them and join in prayer for them.
• Lord, may the power of death that covers the land of North Korea crumble through the authority of Jesus' blood. Let the Juche ideology of Kim Il-sung, the hereditary dictatorship, and the idolization system be brought to an end swiftly. May the Christians and residents in political prison camps gain freedom, and may the people of North Korea also freely hear the Gospel of Jesus and receive salvation.

2. "Signs of 'Puppet South Korea's Collapse' Mentioned, Civil Defense Mobilization Posture Strengthened"

A view of Musan County, North Hamgyong Province, North Korea, photographed in August 2013. /Photo = Daily NK

▶ ▶ Summary of the Article

North Korean authorities reportedly stated that "puppet South Korea is showing signs of collapse" and instructed an unprecedentedly strict maintenance of all-around mobilization posture. On the 14th, a source in North Hamgyong Province reported, "The central government has conveyed instructions to all institutions and enterprises in the province, stating that 'the situation in puppet South Korea is developing in a way favorable to us. Maintain a heightened state of alert and conduct comprehensive civil defense training.'" North Korean authorities emphasized South Korea's political instability and demanded heightened vigilance from officials.

They further claimed, "Thanks to the wise policies of the party, we maintain an unshakable political environment under any circumstances," and ordered that "daily business, life, and production activities must continue while maintaining a constant mobilization posture against the dire political environment in puppet South Korea." The expression "collapse of puppet South Korea" included in these instructions has reportedly drawn significant attention among key institution and enterprise officials. The source noted, "Officials are taking this directive more seriously than ever before, and any minor flaw in civil defense training conducted under a simulated wartime scenario will not be tolerated, resulting in heightened tension among officials." Among the general populace, remarks such as "Is South Korea really collapsing?" have also been circulating, according to the source.

[2025.01.14. Daily NK / Read Article: https://iii.im/4lCn]

▶ ▶ Prayer Topics

"As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people both now and forevermore." (Psalm 125:2)

• North Korean authorities, claiming that signs of South Korea's collapse are emerging and the situation is turning favorable to them, are urging civilians to maintain an all-around mobilization posture through civil defense drills resembling real combat. May God Himself protect the national defense and security of South Korea, which was established by His grace as a free democracy, so that North Korea cannot take advantage of this turbulent period to provoke or initiate war. Grant that South Korea may quickly regain stability by God's grace.
• When hearing about South Korea's recent political situation, may North Korean officials and ordinary citizens not be deceived by the regime's propaganda but instead recognize the serious contradictions of the Kim Il-sung Juche ideology and the three-generation hereditary dictatorship that suppresses all freedoms and expressions of the people's will. May this realization awaken a longing for freedom among them.

3. "Rural Housing Occupancy Suspended in Parts of North Korea"

A rural housing village built by North Korea last year.

▶ ▶ Summary of the Article

While North Korean authorities are promoting the "new era of cultural rural villages" by holding events to move agricultural workers into new housing in various rural areas, the process has been effectively forced, causing strong backlash from residents. On the 25th of last month, in Kwaksan County, a resident, who was forced to vacate his single-story home and move into a new apartment, committed suicide by jumping from the 7th floor of his apartment on the very day he was relocated.

The resident had previously appealed to the County People’s Committee to remain in his original home, but the committee accused him of opposing the Supreme Leader's vision for cultural rural development and threatened severe punishment for allegedly having a bad influence on others. The resident's previous home was a single-story house with vegetable gardens in the front and back, allowing him to grow his own food. After being forcibly moved to an apartment with no such gardens, he made the tragic decision. Witnesses have criticized the authorities for forcing residents into apartments, which they claim are unsuitable for rural lifestyles while promoting them as the ideal of a socialist cultural rural village.

Residents argue that the very idea of building apartments in rural areas was a mistake from the beginning, compounded by the poor construction quality, which raises concerns about how long they will last. With many residents refusing to move in, authorities have suspended forced relocations, leaving many apartments in rural areas unoccupied.

[2025.01.15. RFA / Read Article: https://iii.im/zioG]

▶ ▶ Prayer Topics

"Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked." (Psalm 82:4)

• Lord, we pray for the rural residents of North Korea, who have lost their homes and been forcibly relocated to poorly constructed new apartments without even a small garden to sustain their livelihoods, leading to severe backlash and even tragic loss of life. Have mercy on the rural residents of North Korea, who are being used as tools in the hollow propaganda of building a socialist cultural rural village.
• Protect North Korean residents living in hastily constructed rural apartments from accidents or loss of life due to building collapses caused by poor construction.
• May North Korea be blessed with leaders and a government that respect the lives and rights of its people, prioritize the well-being of its citizens, and ensure their basic needs for food, shelter, and clothing are met.