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North Koreans Exposed to the Gospel Through Radio Partnership

by Julia Pierce, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – Amid anti-Christian propaganda from the oppressive North Korean Kim regime, North Koreans are still hearing the truth of the gospel through a partnership between ICC (International Christian Concern) and FNKR (Free North Korea Radio.)

The ICC and FNKR partnership is another way that the gospel is being spread to North Koreans, despite the great peril. For 30 minutes each morning and in the afternoon, FNKR broadcasts Christian programs. They read the Bible on air. They share sermons from a South Korean pastor. They share Christian radio drama from North Korean defectors, reading from “Tortured for Christ” by Richard Wurmbrandt, and they play popular Christian music translated into Korean.

The gospel is going forth even in the most dangerous country for Christians, and the North Korean government is taking notice of this. In April of 2021, a leaked official document stated, “Currently, South Korea and the United States have been spreading the gospel through leaflets and radio broadcasts affecting North Koreans’ minds. They have been spreading a bogus rumor about believing in God and trusting God in all things.” The Kim regime is attempting to shut down every outlet for sharing the gospel, but they have not been fully successful.

As much as their government tries to control their lives and their very thoughts, the people of North Korea know that what their government is doing to them is wrong. To quote one North Korean defector, “Right now people inside North Korea want to rise up against the regime. There is so much discontent inside and it is at every level of society…When North Koreans come to South Korea, they fully realize how bad their situation was in North Korea. It is humiliating, and they wonder how much of their life was lost because they were born in North Korea… I guarantee you we will continue to fight to end the Kim regime, so please be our friend and ally.”

Currently, North Korea is still at the top of the list on the Open Doors “World Watch List” of countries that persecute Christians. North Koreans are taught to believe in the government as their savior, sustainer, and reason for existence. They are not allowed the basic freedoms of experiencing or expressing faith in anything besides their governmental authorities. They are not allowed to differ in thought or to speak or write openly about anything that may disagree with the dictates of their government. North Koreans are not given access to the internet or any other media from the outside world that could expose them to alternate ways of thinking and living from what they are allowed to experience under the reign of Kim Jong-un.

Underground churches in North Korea are still actively sharing their faith with their communities. They are living out the message of Paul in Philippians 1 when he wrote his letter of hope and joy to the Philippians while chained to a Roman guard. These North Korean believers understand the truth that “to live is Christ and to die is gain.”

For these reasons, it is extremely dangerous to be a Christian in North Korea, and even more dangerous to share the gospel in any way. Christians who are exposed will face certain arrest and possibly torture or even death. However, the danger has not put an end to God’s word going forth.

Please pray for the people of North Korea to hear the good news of the gospel, and please pray for underground churches, and for ministries like ICC through FNKR to keep finding avenues to circumvent efforts of the government to silence them.