May_week2 2026 North Korea Prayer
1. Deepening Food Shortage in Ryanggang Province Rural Areas… Barely Surviving on One Meal a Day
Article Summary
The food crisis among residents in the rural areas of Ryanggang Province, North Korea, is intensifying. Reports indicate an increasing number of farming households are surviving on just one meal a day due to insufficient rations, non-payment of cash wages, and skyrocketing rice prices. In one farm in Hyesan, over half of the households are in such dire straits. Although the cash distribution for last year was set at 300,000 won per person, it is reported that only "empty envelopes" with the amount written on them were actually delivered. After deducting debts from the distributed food and selling a portion to buy basic necessities, the remaining amount is woefully inadequate. According to North Korean market price surveys, the price of 1kg of rice was 9,700 won (KPW) on April 27 last year, but has now surpassed 30,000 won—a more than threefold increase in just one year. Meanwhile, farmers are blocked from seeking alternative livelihoods or side jobs. With the farming season approaching, skipping work leads to poor labor credits (gongsu), which affects autumn distributions, leaving farmers with no time even to forage for wild greens. [ April 30, 2026. Daily NK ]
Prayer Points
“He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets prisoners free.” (Psalm 146:7)
Lord, we lift up the suffering of our North Korean brothers and sisters in Ryanggang Province who are barely surviving the "barley hump" on one meal a day due to ration shortages and inflation. Please fill their hungry bellies and open ways for them to obtain their daily bread.
May the evil North Korean system—which prioritizes regime survival and ideological control over the lives of its people—be broken. Break the chain of this tragic famine that repeats every year due to structural distribution failures and restrictions on movement.
May the South Korean church not remain a bystander to the suffering of our kin while we eat and drink in peace. Let us feel their hunger as our own pain and remain awake in daily prayer for the salvation of North Korea and gospel-based unification.
2. Erasing ‘Unification’ and Codifying ‘Two States’… A Look at North Korea’s Amended Constitution
Article Summary
In its newly revised constitution, North Korea has codified inter-Korean relations as a "two-state" relationship, specifying that its territory borders the Republic of Korea (South Korea) to the south. The constitution now defines the Chairman of the State Affairs Commission as the "Head of State" and includes the authority to use nuclear weapons for the first time. According to the full text recently obtained, Article 2 describes the territory as bordering the Republic of Korea to the south, including the territorial waters and airspace established on that basis. All descriptions regarding the "unification feat" of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il have been deleted. While the West Sea boundary was left ambiguous without specific technical descriptions, the wording is evaluated as relatively dry compared to initial expectations. Phrases like "free medical care" and "tax-free country," once used for regime propaganda, were completely removed. Analysis suggests this reflects the reality of market logic penetrating society, such as the now-common practice of paying for medical treatment. [ May 7, 2026. SBS News ]
Prayer Points
“The Lord foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.” (Psalm 33:10-11)
North Korea has defined the inter-Korean relationship as two hostile states and codified Kim Jong-un’s exclusive authority to use nuclear weapons. Lord, let any plan that shakes the peace of the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia by erasing the history of unification be neutralized.
As phrases like "free medical care" disappear from the constitution, let the illusions of North Korea’s Juche ideology and socialist system be exposed in the light of truth.
In the face of this "two-state theory," may the Republic of Korea reject anti-constitutional values and firmly uphold its own constitution, which specifies peaceful unification based on the basic order of free democracy. Protect Article 3 of our Constitution, which defines the Korean Peninsula and its adjacent islands as our territory, so that the path for North Korean escapees to enter the South as our citizens is never blocked.
3. “Remember Those in Prison”… The Movie ‘Until the Day’
Article Summary
The musical Until the Day, which received great love for its vivid portrayal of North Korean human rights and the reality of the underground church, has been produced as a movie. The film follows Myeong-sik, a deputy director of the Propaganda and Agitation Department, and Sun-cheon, an arts troupe actress, as they decide to defect after meeting a missionary undercover. The actors emphasized that they prepared for the work through prayer, driven by a responsibility to inform the world of North Korea's reality. The depiction of underground Christians risking their lives to keep their faith left a deep impression on audiences at the premiere. Beyond simple screenings, the film will tour churches nationwide as a "complex cultural ministry" combining OST live performances and musical gala shows. The production team stated, "Just as the Bible teaches us to remember those in prison, we hope this film spreads the cry for human rights recovery and religious freedom for North Koreans." [ April 29, 2026. GOODTV News ]
Prayer Points
“Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.” (Hebrews 13:3)
Lord, as the movie Until the Day tours churches, let it fully reveal the reality of our brothers and sisters risking their lives for their faith in the North Korean underground church.
May all who watch the film deeply realize the pain of division and the gravity of human rights issues. Let this work be a spark for desperate prayer for the salvation of the North Korean people. May the South Korean church reflect on its own faith through the devotion of underground believers and remember to pray for those imprisoned and mistreated.
May the power of death and the bonds of wickedness over the land of North Korea be broken, and may true freedom of faith be granted to all North Korean residents.
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