Voice of the Martyrs
Voice of the Martyrs
Voice of the Martyrs
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SpREaDIng<br />
THE TRuTH In<br />
north korea<br />
by P. Todd Nettleton<br />
S<br />
he wept. He wept. And we waited.<br />
The afternoon sun was bright, casting a shadow on Sister<br />
“Choi Yong Jin” as she relayed her experience in North<br />
Korea. Uncontrollable tears rolled down Choi’s face, halting<br />
our two-hour interview. Someone handed her a tissue, <strong>the</strong>n<br />
an entire box. Slowly, she regained her composure. Our<br />
translator also took a pause to wipe tears from his eyes.<br />
The world seems enamored with <strong>the</strong> new face <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
Democratic People’s Republic <strong>of</strong> Korea (North Korea). To<br />
<strong>the</strong> world, it is now viewed as a nation that supports artistic<br />
freedom, welcoming <strong>the</strong> New York Philharmonic. It is seen<br />
as a nation that promotes peace now that it has destroyed its<br />
Yongbyong nuclear cooling tower, <strong>the</strong> largest symbol <strong>of</strong> its<br />
nuclear program.<br />
But to thousands <strong>of</strong> North Korean Christians like Choi<br />
Yong Jin, this country’s face remains one <strong>of</strong> pure evil.<br />
It is difficult to comprehend a place so terrible that<br />
Christians must flee to Communist China<br />
for a modicum <strong>of</strong> religious freedom.<br />
But make no mistake — for Christians,<br />
North Korea is hell manifested<br />
on earth.<br />
Isolated on half a peninsula <strong>of</strong>f<br />
<strong>the</strong> coast <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Sea <strong>of</strong> Japan, North<br />
Korea is more than a dictatorship.<br />
It is a totalitarian regime where its<br />
citizens must not only support <strong>the</strong>ir<br />
communist leaders, but <strong>the</strong>y must<br />
worship <strong>the</strong>m as if <strong>the</strong>y were living gods. Hence, Kim Il<br />
Sung, founder <strong>of</strong> modern North Korea created “Juche,” <strong>the</strong><br />
country’s state religion.<br />
The government uses cult indoctrination to maintain<br />
“Juche.” For example, North Korean children are annually<br />
given one piece <strong>of</strong> candy. This is a luxury for a population<br />
in which nearly 40 percent <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> children are malnourished.<br />
Yet before <strong>the</strong>y unwrap <strong>the</strong> precious sweet, children must<br />
bow in a prayer <strong>of</strong> thanks to <strong>the</strong> country’s dictator “gods.” In<br />
VOM launches balloons carrying<br />
thousands <strong>of</strong> gospel tracts into North<br />
Korea. Even North Korean soldiers have<br />
seen <strong>the</strong>se tracts.<br />
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this is our victory<br />
addition, North Korean children are<br />
taught to sing worship songs found<br />
in a book <strong>of</strong> 600 “hymns” that give<br />
praise to Sung and his son Kim Jong<br />
Il, <strong>the</strong> nation’s current leader. [VOM<br />
contacts are rewriting 30 <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se<br />
“hymns” and replacing <strong>the</strong>m with<br />
Christian lyrics to be broadcast in<br />
<strong>the</strong> country.]<br />
To keep “Juche” in place, <strong>the</strong><br />
government harasses, tortures,<br />
imprisons and even kidnaps its<br />
citizens who dare to follow who <strong>the</strong>y<br />
call “<strong>the</strong> God <strong>of</strong> heaven,” known to<br />
us as <strong>the</strong> one true God and His son<br />
Jesus Christ.<br />
As Choi will tell you, disavowing<br />
“Juche” and following Christ in<br />
North Korea is not just disobedience,<br />
it amounts to treason.<br />
Once married to a communist<br />
<strong>of</strong>ficial in North Korea, Choi was<br />
a follower <strong>of</strong> an earthly king. Like<br />
every o<strong>the</strong>r North Korean, she had<br />
two pictures prominent in her home<br />
— one <strong>of</strong> Kim Il Sung and one <strong>of</strong> his<br />
son, Kim Jong Il.<br />
Choi’s husband attended a Kim Il Sung study group to<br />
pour over writings by <strong>the</strong> “Great Leader.” People flocked to<br />
Choi’s husband. He was so influential that when a friend was<br />
arrested by this oppressive government it took only one word<br />
from Choi’s husband to spare him<br />
Choi Young Jin cried uncontrollably as she told<br />
how North Korean soldiers tortured her.<br />
THE VOICE OF THE MARTYRS<br />
punishment. In gratitude, <strong>the</strong> man<br />
brought <strong>the</strong> Chois an unknown book.<br />
“This is <strong>the</strong> story <strong>of</strong> someone from<br />
heaven who helps poor people,” <strong>the</strong><br />
man said. “Would you like to read it?”<br />
Choi Yong Jin and her husband had<br />
never heard <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Bible, but it sounded<br />
intriguing and <strong>the</strong>y accepted <strong>the</strong> book.<br />
It was moist and moldy from being<br />
buried in <strong>the</strong> ground to hide it from<br />
government <strong>of</strong>ficials.<br />
Each night, Choi carefully covered<br />
her windows, settled into a corner<br />
and draped a blanket over her head.<br />
Following <strong>the</strong> stranger’s advice she<br />
read five parts <strong>of</strong> her new book —<br />
Genesis and <strong>the</strong> four sections written by<br />
someone named John.<br />
The man challenged her to read those<br />
sections three times before reading<br />
anything else. Each night she emerged<br />
from her reading, her nose black from<br />
soot and her mind filled with questions.<br />
She was fascinated by <strong>the</strong> story <strong>of</strong><br />
Jesus. “In Him was life…” she read in<br />
John 1:4. “He was <strong>the</strong> Lamb <strong>of</strong> God<br />
who takes away sin,” (John 1:29). The<br />
world hated Him (John 7:7) and His followers were warned<br />
to expect hatred too (1 John 3:13). But <strong>the</strong>re were promises<br />
too … promises for victory! “And this is <strong>the</strong> victory that has<br />
overcome <strong>the</strong> world — our faith.” (1 John 5:4)<br />
The gospel story and overcoming promises intrigued her,<br />
but Choi had so many questions and no one to answer <strong>the</strong>m.<br />
Some months later, her uncle, who moved to nearby China,<br />
Send a Flying Gospel<br />
Did you know North Korea has a 99 percent literacy rate? It’s <strong>the</strong> same as <strong>the</strong> population in <strong>the</strong> United States.<br />
Their literacy rate is probably so high because from a young age North Koreans are forced to read <strong>the</strong> writings<br />
<strong>of</strong> dictators Kim Il Sung and his son Kim Jong Il. The writings are <strong>the</strong> backbone <strong>of</strong> “Juche,” North Korea’s state<br />
religion. Juche means “self-reliant.” But it encourages people to rely on <strong>the</strong> government and its deity dictators for<br />
everything. Christians in North Korea are in desperate need <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Word <strong>of</strong> God.<br />
This is why VOM has launched gospel balloons and gospel tracts (pictured to <strong>the</strong> left) into North Korea for more<br />
than 20 years. Today, we partner with a group <strong>of</strong> North Korean defectors using technology developed by <strong>the</strong> South Korean government. Each large<br />
balloon launched includes 10,000 gospel tracts, printed on white wea<strong>the</strong>rpro<strong>of</strong> plastic. Tracts in <strong>the</strong> balloons have <strong>the</strong> Book <strong>of</strong> Mark written in<br />
Korean. We also distribute <strong>the</strong> booklet “How to Know God,” in Korean. A time-release mechanism drops <strong>the</strong>m at intervals over North Korea. You<br />
can watch a video <strong>of</strong> this event at www.persecution.com/newsletter. In addition to <strong>the</strong> gospel tracts, we also provide thousands <strong>of</strong> Bibles that have<br />
been translated into <strong>the</strong> North Korean language to Christians who are anxiously awaiting <strong>the</strong> gospel. All <strong>the</strong>se activities are made possible because<br />
<strong>of</strong> gifts to VOM’s Light to North Korea Fund. This fund supports <strong>the</strong> projects mentioned above as well as several we cannot mention. The church in<br />
North Korea is growing. God is at work and we are honored to play a small role in what He is doing <strong>the</strong>re.<br />
Choi also harkened back to verses she had read in that moldy Bible. She<br />
remembered Jesus’ words, in her paraphrase: “Anybody who hit you on <strong>the</strong> right<br />
cheek, turn to <strong>the</strong>m <strong>the</strong> left cheek also.”<br />
came to visit. At dinner, Choi noticed he paused and bowed his<br />
head before eating <strong>the</strong> rice. As she watched him pray, <strong>the</strong> Holy<br />
Spirit moved on her heart and <strong>the</strong> stories she had read in John<br />
suddenly became clear. Her questions faded and her faith was<br />
born. The next morning, her uncle taught her to sing Amazing<br />
Grace. She later visited him in China, and attended her first<br />
church service. The pastor prayed with her.<br />
In a country where neighbors report on each o<strong>the</strong>r to <strong>the</strong><br />
police, secrets do not last long. Word <strong>of</strong> Choi’s late-night Bible<br />
reading got out. She was arrested and charged with being a<br />
“religious spy,” and “spreading anti-communist ideas.”<br />
“I was caught by <strong>the</strong> police, and I was tortured very<br />
seriously,” she told us. “They forced me to kneel down on <strong>the</strong><br />
chair, and <strong>the</strong>y stepped on my knees. They beat my face and<br />
every part <strong>of</strong> my body. My face was bruised and very black.<br />
They asked me to confess my spying acts, and said ‘tell us<br />
about <strong>the</strong> man who brought <strong>the</strong> Bibles to you.’ I told <strong>the</strong>m I<br />
was not a spy, and I did not commit any spying acts against <strong>the</strong><br />
North Korean government. I did not tell <strong>the</strong> man’s name,<br />
and I insisted in telling <strong>the</strong>m that I was <strong>the</strong> only one who read<br />
<strong>the</strong> Bible. ”<br />
When torturing Choi yielded no “confession,” police went<br />
to her husband, telling him that if he testified against her at<br />
her trial she would soon come home.<br />
Christians in<br />
North Korea face<br />
imprisonment up to<br />
three generations for<br />
having a Bible, yet <strong>the</strong>y<br />
ask for more. These<br />
Christians are willing<br />
to risk all to spread <strong>the</strong><br />
gospel <strong>of</strong> Jesus Christ.<br />
“The police <strong>of</strong>ficers visited me again. ‘Your husband will be<br />
a witness about your crime! So you confess everything!’” Choi<br />
could barely speak as she recalled her husband’s betrayal. After<br />
that, <strong>the</strong>y tied my legs and hung me upside down and beat me.<br />
In prison, I was beaten every day, all day long.<br />
“The policemen had me stand up and place my hands out <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>the</strong> door, because <strong>the</strong>re was a small window in <strong>the</strong> door, and<br />
<strong>the</strong>y hit my fingers and hands with a pipe. I was bleeding all<br />
over, and my hands were torn. I could not use my hands for<br />
more than 20 days.” Choi held up her hands as she told her<br />
story. They are still marked by <strong>the</strong> torture. Several <strong>of</strong> her fingers<br />
are bent at odd angles.<br />
Choi’s first trial was a five-hour ordeal in which her husband,<br />
realizing he’d been tricked by <strong>the</strong> police, <strong>of</strong>fered bold words in<br />
her defense. She was found not guilty. Still, in North Korea,<br />
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this is our victory<br />
nothing is ever what it seems. Choi’s not-guilty verdict was<br />
quickly cast aside. She was retried. At her second trial Choi<br />
could not even speak because her face was paralyzed from<br />
numerous beatings. And after only an hour, she was convicted<br />
and sentenced to 15 years in prison.<br />
“I prayed all <strong>the</strong> time in prison,” she told us, “even when I<br />
was beaten by <strong>the</strong> police.”<br />
Choi also harkened back to verses she had read in that<br />
moldy Bible. She remembered Jesus’ words, in her paraphrase:<br />
“Anybody who hit you on <strong>the</strong> right cheek, turn to <strong>the</strong>m <strong>the</strong> left<br />
cheek also.”<br />
She held onto <strong>the</strong> promises from 1 John that her faith<br />
could overcome <strong>the</strong> world, even one created by North<br />
Korean dictators.<br />
After one year in prison,<br />
Choi weighed 62 pounds.<br />
When her husband visited, she<br />
begged him to get her out. He<br />
sold <strong>the</strong>ir home and collected<br />
all he could from friends and<br />
relatives and came back with <strong>the</strong> money and a television, which<br />
he gave to a prison guard to “bail” her out. The pay<strong>of</strong>f worked<br />
and she returned to her village. But she was no longer bowing<br />
to <strong>the</strong>ir earthly king.<br />
“Before this experience I believed, ‘My country is <strong>the</strong> best<br />
country in <strong>the</strong> world!’ But I realized in prison what is <strong>the</strong> reality<br />
<strong>of</strong> North Korea. I told my husband, ‘If I can recover my health<br />
again, I do not want to live in this land, because I know now<br />
what this land is like!’”<br />
Choi escaped to China, and eventually to South Korea.<br />
While Choi’s ordeal was horrific, <strong>the</strong> North Koreans have<br />
devised even worse ways to thwart Christianity. Our VOM<br />
contacts say Christians are no longer only being imprisoned —<br />
<strong>the</strong>y are disappearing.<br />
Last year nine Christians working with VOM in North<br />
Korea simply vanished. One by one <strong>the</strong>y stopped making<br />
Imprisoned, bruised, beaten and<br />
persecuted, Sister Choi still remains<br />
vigilant, using her voice and her prayers<br />
to destroy <strong>the</strong> face <strong>of</strong> evil.<br />
© Corbis<br />
Like King Nebuchadnezzar in <strong>the</strong> days <strong>of</strong> Daniel, North Korea’s<br />
leaders demand total worship. People cannot pass statues like <strong>the</strong>se<br />
scheduled contacts. VOM had provided vocational training<br />
and equipment to set up a business. Now <strong>the</strong> believers — in<br />
three different locations — were gone. In September 2007,<br />
<strong>the</strong> story became clearer. The North Korean government held<br />
a press conference in <strong>the</strong> capital city <strong>of</strong> Pyongyang, before <strong>the</strong><br />
world media. “We have captured spies,” said <strong>the</strong> North Korean<br />
<strong>of</strong>ficial. As pro<strong>of</strong>, cameras panned a table containing <strong>the</strong> alleged<br />
“spy equipment.”<br />
Our contacts recognized <strong>the</strong> equipment in <strong>the</strong> video. It was<br />
not for spying, but had been provided to our precious bro<strong>the</strong>rs<br />
and sisters to support <strong>the</strong>mselves through a legitimate business,<br />
a business for which <strong>the</strong>y had sought an <strong>of</strong>ficial license. It is<br />
believed our Christian bro<strong>the</strong>rs and sisters are in <strong>the</strong> hands<br />
<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> North Korean secret<br />
police and will never be returned<br />
or released.<br />
Such a crack down on<br />
Christians makes our work<br />
more important than ever in<br />
<strong>the</strong> face <strong>of</strong> such evil. Though<br />
embittered by her country’s persecution Choi has not turned<br />
her back on her North Korean countrymen. Today Choi<br />
volunteers at a radio station in Seoul, South Korea where VOM<br />
sponsors gospel radio broadcasts into her homeland. The station<br />
also broadcasts <strong>the</strong> stories <strong>of</strong> North Korean defectors, letting<br />
relatives in <strong>the</strong> North know <strong>the</strong>y made it to freedom.<br />
Imprisoned, bruised, beaten and persecuted, Sister Choi still<br />
remains vigilant, using her voice and her prayers to destroy <strong>the</strong><br />
face <strong>of</strong> evil. We do not know how many Choi Yong Jins <strong>the</strong>re<br />
are in North Korean prison camps, or how many Christians are<br />
praying and worshipping inside <strong>the</strong> country sometimes called<br />
<strong>the</strong> “Hermit Kingdom.” But our mandate is clear: we will not<br />
forget <strong>the</strong>m. Until Christ returns, until <strong>the</strong> number <strong>of</strong> North<br />
Korean martyrs is complete, (Revelation 6:9-11), we will not<br />
stop in our work to help <strong>the</strong>m.<br />
WHO WILL THEY sErVE?<br />
In a secret meeting,<br />
North Korean Christians<br />
take communion.<br />
<strong>of</strong> North Korean leaders without bowing. Yet <strong>the</strong>re are those who<br />
choose to devote <strong>the</strong>ir worship to <strong>the</strong> King <strong>of</strong> Kings and Him alone.<br />
Feeding Body and Soul<br />
The people <strong>of</strong> North Korea are starving both spiritually<br />
and physically. Most <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> country’s 23 million citizens are<br />
malnourished. “We are considered blessed if we eat one meal<br />
a day,” says a North Korean believer. “We know families who<br />
are surviving <strong>of</strong>f rotten potato soup and little else.”<br />
There are people in North Korea so repressed that <strong>the</strong>y<br />
would ra<strong>the</strong>r starve <strong>the</strong>mselves and <strong>the</strong>ir children before<br />
asking <strong>the</strong>ir government for aid.<br />
“I am ashamed to confess,” one North Korean believer<br />
wrote us, “that before becoming a follower <strong>of</strong> Christ, I was<br />
one <strong>of</strong> many who let my children starve to death in order to<br />
survive. After my two sons died I wandered aimlessly through<br />
life without purpose. Then Jesus found me.”<br />
We have stepped in to deliver North Koreans from<br />
spiritual and physical evil spread by <strong>the</strong>ir government. VOM<br />
has provided more than 17.5 tons <strong>of</strong> emergency food aid<br />
including rice and flour to Christians suffering starvation in<br />
North Korea. In addition, we’re <strong>of</strong>fering <strong>the</strong>se precious people<br />
<strong>the</strong> Word <strong>of</strong> God.<br />
In <strong>the</strong> 1970s <strong>the</strong> North Korean government sponsored a<br />
Korean Bible translation as a token gesture to show “religious<br />
freedom.” It has been recognized as <strong>the</strong> most accurate Korean<br />
translation <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Bible. Yet only 300 copies were printed.<br />
VOM obtained one copies and now prints thousands to share<br />
with North Korean believers.<br />
Still spreading <strong>the</strong> gospel isn’t easy in North Korea.<br />
Possession <strong>of</strong> a Bible can equal a death sentence. And up to<br />
three generations <strong>of</strong> your family can be imprisoned. So many<br />
North Koreans make handwritten copies <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Bible and hide<br />
<strong>the</strong>m in <strong>the</strong>ir walls or bury <strong>the</strong>m in <strong>the</strong> backyard to keep <strong>the</strong>m<br />
from being discovered.<br />
VOM also sponsors<br />
a half-hour daily<br />
Christian broadcast<br />
into North Korea. For<br />
10 minutes people<br />
hear an audio drama<br />
<strong>of</strong> Christ’s story,<br />
He Lived Among<br />
Us. Ten minutes is<br />
reading from Tortured<br />
for Christ. And <strong>the</strong><br />
final 10 minutes is<br />
simply spent reading<br />
scriptures, slow<br />
enough to allow<br />
listeners to write<br />
down each word.<br />
These Christian<br />
broadcasts are also<br />
downloaded onto<br />
MP3 players which<br />
are delivered with<br />
<strong>the</strong> food. All <strong>the</strong>se<br />
While many North Korean children<br />
starve, <strong>the</strong> country’s leader Kim<br />
Jong Il keeps 10,000 bottles <strong>of</strong><br />
liquor in his wine cellar. VOM<br />
provides food aid to impoverished<br />
North Koreans as well as Bibles.<br />
To avoid punishment for Bible<br />
possession, many North Koreans<br />
hide handwritten scriptures in<br />
<strong>the</strong>ir walls.<br />
activities are conducted through our Light to North<br />
Korea fund.<br />
“Your gift <strong>of</strong> food has streng<strong>the</strong>n me,” says one teacher in<br />
<strong>the</strong> North Korean underground church, “ and I will use that<br />
strength to preach that Christ is our Savior. Without Christ,<br />
life is not worth living. This is why we will continue to risk<br />
our lives to preach in His name.”<br />
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