Mar week4, 2025 Prayer for North Korea

1. “Chinese Government, Release All 2,000 North Korean Defectors in Detention”

▲North Korean defectors are speaking at a press conference. ⓒNational Coalition

▶ ▶ Article Summary

Recently, news broke that two North Korean defectors who successfully escaped from China to Vietnam were kidnapped there, and as the UN Human Rights Council 's Working Group on Arbitrary Detention announced that the detention of three missionaries in North Korea constituted "arbitrary detention," a press conference was held near the Chinese Embassy in Seoul on the 17th, hosted by the National Coalition against Forced Repatriation of North Korean Defectors, to condemn the Chinese government's forced repatriation of North Korean defectors. Several participants, including Ms. Lee Seon-hee (North Korean Defectors' Freedom Coalition), made statements. They strongly urged the release of all 2,000 North Korean defectors who were detained so that they could go to the countries of their choice, saying, "This is the only way to wash away the Chinese government's past mistakes." In addition, China has been issuing temporary residence permits to North Korean defector women who marry Chinese men for several years now, and at this time, all personal information, fingerprints, and facial recognition are registered. Considering that a significant number of the approximately 2,600 North Korean defectors detained during the COVID-19 period are women who received temporary residence permits, it was revealed that the temporary residence permits are not a measure to protect the Chinese families who host them, but rather to monitor and track North Korean defectors. In addition, it was reported that in February, North Korea and China signed a business cooperation agreement to understand the trends of North Korean defectors in China, and are strengthening surveillance and management of North Korean defectors in China. Through the statement, they expressed their anger at the Chinese government for protecting the Kim Jong-un regime, the worst human rights violator, and delivered the statement to the Chinese embassy after the press conference.

[ 2025.3.17. Christian Today / View article https://url.kr/xkhka2 ]

▶ ▶ Prayer Topic

“Open your mouth for the dumb, for the cause of all who are destitute.” (Prov. 31:8)

- We urge the Chinese government to comply with the UN Refugee Convention and the UN Convention against Torture, stop forcibly repatriating North Korean defectors, and promptly release the approximately 2,000 North Korean defectors who are being forcibly detained and send them to the countries of their choice.

- Let the Chinese government respect the human rights of North Korean defectors within its borders and guarantee them refugee status at the United Nations.

- Lord, please quickly achieve the gospel of freedom, democracy, and unification so that our compatriots in the North will no longer have to risk their lives to defect while experiencing the pain of being separated from their beloved families.

2. Wife gave birth, but vacation was rejected … Greenhouse farm construction assault team members are dissatisfied

On February 11, the Rodong Sinmun, the publication of the Workers' Party of Korea, reported on the groundbreaking ceremony held the previous day (the 10th) attended by Chairman Kim Jong-un, saying, "The largest modern greenhouse farm and vegetable science research base will rise as creations symbolizing the advancement of local revitalization in Hadan-ri, Sinuiju City and Soho-ri, Uiju County." /Photo=Rodong Sinmun·News 1

▶ ▶ Article Summary

As North Korea is building a large-scale greenhouse farm in Hadan-ri, Sinuiju-si, and Seoho-ri, Uiju-gun, North Pyongan Province, which suffered flood damage last year, shock brigade members mobilized for the construction are reportedly expressing dissatisfaction because they cannot apply for leave even when their wives give birth. After the groundbreaking ceremony for the 4.46㎢ greenhouse farm attended by Kim Jong-un on the 10th of last month, foundation work, road maintenance, and block production have been competitively carried out at the construction site. It has been reported that in some cases, the command rejected the leave applications of shock brigade members, but instead promoted them as model members under the theme of “positive influence education” and encouraged them to become more immersed in the construction work. Earlier this month, a shock brigade member applied for leave after hearing news of his wife’s birth, but it was not approved because there were no shift changers. This measure was criticized even among shock brigade members as it was out of line with the authorities’ policy of encouraging childbirth. Then, when the higher-ups suddenly started promoting this member of the assault brigade as a “model revolutionary who voluntarily continues to innovate every day even after hearing the news of his wife’s pregnancy,” it was reported that those around him were astonished, saying, “He won’t be able to go see his child and will have to live for propaganda purposes.” It was also reported that other members of the assault brigade who were planning to apply for leave for similar reasons were also reluctant to do so.

[ 2025.3.16. Daily NK / View article https://url.kr/ocbjk5 ]

▶ ▶ Prayer Topic

“Because of the oppression of the poor, because of the sighing of the needy, now will I arise,” says the LORD; “I will set him in the safety for which he desires.” (Psalm 12:5)

- As construction of a large-scale greenhouse farm is underway in North Korea, a shock brigade member assigned to the construction was dissatisfied because he was not approved for leave even after his wife gave birth, but his superiors are propagandizing that he did not take the leave voluntarily. Lord, please have mercy on our compatriots in the North who are living in seriously poor working conditions and whose basic human rights are being trampled under Kim Jong-un’s third- generation hereditary dictatorship.

- North Korea announced last year that it would accept the UN's " universal human rights periodic review " recommendation to consider joining the International Labor Organization. Let's use this as an opportunity to make North Korea a society that respects workers' human rights in various areas, such as paying fair wages and improving treatment, in accordance with its own constitution and socialist labor law, and in accordance with international standards.

3. Where did the North Korea hacked '2 trillion' coins go ?... 'Laundry route' revealed

▶ ▶ Article Summary

It has been reported that a North Korean hacking organization hacked a cryptocurrency exchange last month, resulting in approximately 2 trillion won worth of cryptocurrency falling into North Korea's hands. On the 21st of last month, 1.46 billion dollars (2.1 trillion won in our currency) worth of Ethereum was stolen through hacking from the Dubai -based cryptocurrency exchange 'Bybit', which is the largest - scale hack in the history of the cryptocurrency industry. The FBI in the United States announced that it was the work of a North Korean hacking organization, and security companies also analyzed that they used the laundering account of 'Lazarus' under North Korea's Reconnaissance General Bureau. The Ethereum cryptocurrency stolen by North Korea has currently been converted to Bitcoin and divided into approximately 20,000 cryptocurrency wallets.

Of these, 20% are already known to be difficult to trace. Park Jeong-seop, a researcher at virtual asset analysis firm Cloint, explained that Ethereum is being laundered into Bitcoin and then into smaller virtual currencies such as Arbitrum and Solana. North Korea is currently known to have the third largest Bitcoin holdings in the world, following the United States and the United Kingdom. Last year, the UN announced that North Korea was securing about 40% of the cost of developing weapons of mass destruction through hacking.

[ 2025.3.17. SBS / View article https://url.kr/i25jhy ]

▶ ▶ Prayer Topic

“… they deal falsely; they come in to steal, they plunder without; they do not consider in their hearts that I have remembered all their wickedness. But now their deeds are before my face; they have surrounded them. They have made kings glad with their wickedness, and princes glad with their lies” (Hosea 7:1-3).

- The FBI announced that North Korea illegally stole 2.1 trillion won worth of virtual currency through hacking in February, and North Korea is using the stolen virtual currency to cover 40% of the cost of developing weapons of mass destruction. Let the international community cooperate and investigate North Korea's virtual currency theft crimes and various cybercrimes, and also prepare strong countermeasures to prevent recurrence.

- May our country’s leaders and security and IT experts thoroughly prepare for various cyber crimes and attacks from North Korea, so that national defense, security, and national finances are protected.