WHO are they? Officially, the North Korean Constitution gives political power to the
people. However, real political power belongs to the Communist Party. The constitution
guarantees such rights as freedom of the press, religion, and speech; however, the 23.6
million Korean in North Korea have very little freedom in those areas. For instance, all
radio and television broadcasts are strictly controlled by the Korean Central Broadcast
Committee. All privately owned radios are "preset" to the government frequency.
Current news is often withheld from the public, or even altered. The people often do not
learn of news events until weeks, months, or even years after they occurred. Many of
the people of North Korean live in very urban, industrialized areas while others live in
rural towns. In urban areas, many work in factories, while farming is still a way of life in
rural areas.
WHERE do they live? The North Koreans live in the nation of North Korea.
HOW many? There are about 23.8 million Koreans living in North Korea, and only
about 1.5% of them are evangelical Christian.
WHAT do they worship? Years ago, the Koreans believed in a mix of Buddhism,
shamanism (belief in an unseen world of gods, demons and ancestral spirits) and
Confucian thought, but in 1945 their formal ruler Kim II Sung was worshipped by the
Koreans and believed to be omniscient and omnipresent. Today, a new ruler Kim II
Jong presides, and any kind of religious activity is still strongly discouraged.
PRAYER needs: The Koreans of North Korea have serious physical and spiritual
needs.
• Severe flooding has created a serious food shortage in North Korea – causing
some people to resort to eating grass and roots just to survive. Pray that God
would meet their physical needs.
• Pray that the laws in North Korea that restrict the preaching of the Gospel will be
changed!
• Ask God to make the Koreans’ hearts more open to Christianity.
• Pray that God would convict the North Koreans about their need for a Savior.
• Ask God to protect, strengthen and encourage the small number of Korean
Christians. Pray that they would boldly share the love of Jesus with their fellow
Koreans.