Open Doors has confirmed the death of two Christians in North Korea.
According to the ministry that serves persecuted Christians worldwide,
one Christian was recently shot while he was on his way back to Bible
training in China. The other died in one of North Korea's notorious
labour camps.
The first Christian had travelled to China several times before.
People told him he could earn more money, but after working in China for
six months he still hadn't received any money, even though he found
several jobs.
After awhile he met an Open Doors worker who cared for the North
Korean refugee. The North Korean became interested in the Christian
faith. After studying the Bible and receiving teaching, he became a
believer. He eventually chose to return to North Korea.
"He was very excited about his new faith and wanted to share the
gospel with his family," says an Open Doors worker. "He wanted to come
back to China to study the Bible more so he could explain the Christian
faith better to his family. It is heartbreaking that he was killed. I
cannot stop thinking: 'If only he had arrived a little later at the
border river, the guard would not have seen and shot him. He could still
be alive today.'"
Another Christian recently died in a labor camp. This man also
studied the Bible in China.
After eight months he decided to return back
to North Korea. According to Open Doors, he became a dedicated and
faithful Christian. However, North Korean authorities found out about
his secret faith and he was sent to prison.
"We just received an update that he was dead," says the Open Doors
worker. "He was terribly tortured because of his faith. He was also
forced to do heavy labor while hardly receiving any food. Before his
return to North Korea, he was baptised and willing to deal with the all
the hardships he had to face. We never tell people to go back to North
Korea, but he was happy to. We are devastated to hear about these
murders. We know Christians die for their faith almost every day in
North Korea, but it is still hard to deal with."
Open Doors has confirmed both deaths through several sources, which cannot be mentioned for security reasons.
North Korea has been No 1 on Open Doors' World Watch List for the
past 11 years. No where else in the world is the persecution of
Christians so intense. Even the possession of the Bible is enough to be
killed or sent to a labor camp for life with your family.
The 200,000 to 400,000 Christians in North Korea have to profess
their faith in secret.
Approximately 50,000 to 70,000 Christians live,
work and ultimately die in one of the horrible concentration camps.
A refugee from North Korea recently stated: "There is no religious
freedom whatsoever in North Korea. People are simply killed if they
believe in Jesus. Kim Jong-Un is a god and there cannot be any god
besides him. Yes, there are church services in North Korea, but only
when foreigners are present. The state calls up some locals to be
present. There is no freedom of religion, speech or press in North
Korea."