“The ransomed North Korea will return with singing, and sorrow and sighing will flee away”
The ransomed of the LORD will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away(Isaiah 51:11,NIV)
》 Country Profile
Continent | East Asia
Population | 26 million
Area | 120,538㎢ Located between China and South Korea in East Asia.
Capital City | Pyongyang (3.13 million)
People Groups | Total 5 groups (Korean 99.8%, Chinese 0.2%)
People Groups Unreached | 2 (99.3% of the population)
Offical Language(s) | Korean
Total languages | 5
Bible translations | Completed 4
Religion | Christian 1.7% (Protestant 0.06%, independent church 1.4%), Non-Religious 68.8%, Ethnic religion 16.1%, other 2.9% Evangelical 1.6% 410,000 people
》 About North Korea
The beginning of North Korea can be traced back to 1945, when the victorious nations of World War II— the United States, the Soviet Union, and the United Kingdom—decided on trusteeship over the Korean Peninsula at the Moscow Conference of Three Powers, leading to the establishment of separate governments in the North and South. In 1948, Kim Il-sung announced the establishment of North Korea. In 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea, starting the Korean War, which ended in 1953 with an armistice at the 38th parallel. Kim Il-sung ruled as a dictator, controlling the people and developing a strict socialist system.
After Kim Il-sung died in 1994, his son Kim Jong-il took over. He continued developing nuclear weapons and missiles. Kim Jong-il died in 2011, and his son Kim Jong-un became the leader. In 2017, Kim Jong-un said North Korea had finished its nuclear weapons program. Since 2019, North Korea has tested more missiles, threatening the United States.
The North Korean government has taken away the people’s freedom, using torture, public executions, and forced abortions. In political prison camps, over 230,000 people are forced to work, are tortured, or even executed.
North Korea’s economy is one of the most centralized and isolated in the world, and it has been suffering from chronic food shortages. A major flood from 1994 to 1995 caused a famine, and over 500,000 people are thought to have died from hunger. Many North Koreans have escaped the country. The economy has been in bad shape for years because of poor management, lack of investment, and the government’s focus on military spending, especially on their nuclear and missile programs. Despite being one of the poorest countries, North Korea still spends a lot of money on weapons, leading to international sanctions. North Korea’s GDP per capita is approximately $1,700.
》 Scripture Focus
| Isaiah 51:3-6, 9-11(NIV) 3. The LORD will surely comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins; he will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the LORD. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing. 4. “Listen to me, my people; hear me, my nation: The law will go out from me; my justice will become a light to the nations. 5. My righteousness draws near speedily, my salvation is on the way, and my arm will bring justice to the nations. The islands will look to me and wait in hope for my arm. 6. Lift up your eyes to the heavens, look at the earth beneath; the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment and its inhabitants die like flies. But my salvation will last forever, my righteousness will never fail. 9. Awake, awake! Clothe yourself with strength, O arm of the LORD; awake, as in days gone by, as in generations of old. Was it not you who cut Rahab to pieces, who pierced that monster through? 10. Was it not you who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep, who made a road in the depths of the sea so that the redeemed might cross over? 11. The ransomed of the LORD will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away. |
》 Prayer Points
1. North Korea is one of the most isolated countries in the world and its people are cut off from the outside world. Although Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il have died, the dictatorship of the Kim family continues with Kim Jong-un as the third leader. The North Korean regime continues to brainwash its people and force them to live in fear.
Let us pray that the strongholds of idolatry in North Korea will be broken so that the people will turn away from false worship and come to serve the living and true God. Despite international criticism, North Korea continues to test nuclear weapons and threaten its neighbors in an effort to maintain its power. Let us pray that God will stop the foolish actions of the North Korean regime and work for the denuclearization and reunification of the Korean peninsula according to His will.
2. North Korea’s economy is in a state of disaster. The country survives only through illegal activities abroad and support from China and South Korea. Despite this, the leaders of North Korea ignore the suffering of their people and waste the country’s wealth to maintain their power. Almost half of North Korea’s population is suffering from malnutrition due to severe food shortages. Let us pray that the leaders of North Korea will realize the judgment of God that awaits them and repent of their hardened hearts. Let us also pray that food will be provided to those who are starving, and that through this process, people will hear the gospel and find eternal life. Let us pray that in God’s timing a change would come to completely free and transform this land.
3. North Korea uses fear to control its people, resulting in some of the worst human rights conditions in the world. The regime uses harsh measures to keep its population under control, and its people suffer violence, forced labor, and serious human rights abuses. North Korea is ranked as one of the worst countries for human rights, receiving a score of only 3 out of 100. Let us pray that the leaders and officials of North Korea will repent of the cruel ways in which they have oppressed their people in order to maintain their power. We also pray that God would fill their hearts with His love for the people of North Korea. Finally, let us ask God to be a refuge for those suffering under this dictatorship as He hears their cries for help.
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