Instead, the underground – or secret – church was born, and it continues to grow, thanks to your continued prayers and support. Kim Il-sung sought to squash the church – but he did not succeed. Refusal meant arrest, torture, and death. Small churches were forced to merge with bigger churches for easier surveillance, and the pastors were ordered to put pictures of Kim Il-Sung in their chapels. The believers were forced to register with the Workers’ Party, and those who refused were arrested, banished to remote areas such as Siberia, or killed. Christian schools were closed or had their management changed. In 1946, Christians protested against Kim Il-sung holding an election on a Sunday, and that was the final straw.įrom then on, Christians and churches were openly regulated and oppressed. Many Christians and churches were attacked believers were imprisoned and even killed. “However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me - the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.” (Acts 20:24)Īfter the Second World War and the rise of Kim Il-sung’s Communist government, Christians and churches in North Korea became the main target of Il-sung’s attacks – he considered the ever-growing power of the Christians to rival his own political power. Remembering the history of how God faithfully visited the people of Korea, and remembering how God guided the country into a great spiritual revival that once covered the whole Korean Peninsula, let’s pray that God will pour out His blessings on North Korea today, and that He would turn the hearts of the Korean people – and especially the Kim family – to Himself. When one Open Doors worker was praying for North Korea, he could not help but ask God, “Why have you forsaken North Korea?” and “Where are you, God?” However, instead of an answer, he felt like God was asking him back: “Why has North Korea forsaken Me?” But there is hope for the North Korean church – it is growing! Since then, there have been several Christian revivals – the most famous being The Great Revival of Pyongyang in 1907, which began during a prayer meeting when several hundred believers confessed their sins before one another and repented.Ĭhristians have almost always been persecuted in North Korea, and things have gotten much, much worse with the rise of the Kim dynasty – the country has been number one on Open Doors’ World Watch List since 2002. The gospel first came to North Korea in the 1800s, through a Welsh missionary. “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14) Your prayers and support are keeping the North Korean church alive Day 1: Repentance

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