North Korea: An Overview
Resources:
Thesis: Re-Examining North Korea Missions (pdf download)
Uncovering North Korea (a mp3 audio report from NE China)
part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5
The Present Situation in North Korea: Concentration Camps… again?
A recent 60 Minutes report captures the attention of the public by drawing a striking similarity between Germany’s horrendous treatment of the Jews during the Holocaust and the state of prisoners in concentration camps situated in North Korea today. Hundreds of books, movies and personal accounts#--they all seem unable to forget the traumatic effect on the Jews and political prisoners during this terrible period of history. Can history repeat itself?
The Famine
An estimated 2-5 million people (out of 22 million) have died in a devastating famine in North Korea since it began in the mid-1990s. Perhaps the greatest human catastrophe of our generation has claimed more lives than the famines in Ethiopia and Somalia combined, yet many are unaware of this ongoing disaster. In an Investigative Report* conducted a few years ago, a group of short-term missionaries surveyed the weightiness of the situation and found these morbid estimates strikingly true. They reported:
"North Korean refugees we talked to said that at the height of the famine in 1997, there weren't enough coffins for all the dead. Trucks drove through the villages every morning to pick up scores of dead bodies on the streets. Perhaps most disturbing, every refugee we talked to had stories of people eating others in their villages.
The North Korean government hasn't released official numbers, but the estimated number of citizens who have died of starvation since 1995 is staggering. Research from independent groups places the death toll at 3 million. A major reason for the famine can be blamed on a deterioriating North Korea economy. The Heritage Foundation and Wall St. Journal, ranked North Korea last out of 155 countries in the 2002 Index of Economic Freedom.
*For more information, check out the website www.nkmissions.com and click under the Investigative Report.
Is North Korea Communist?
Originally North Korea adopted Marxism-Leninism as its ruling philosophy when it proclaimed its establishment in 1938. However they later replaced it with the so-called Juche(translated from Korean: "self-reliance" or "self-dependence") ideology, a creative application of Marxism-Leninism. Juche is the philosophical theory that guides all facets of political, economic, social, religious, and personal life in North Korea. It is a brand of Communism, which mixes aspects of Marxism, Leninism, Christianity, Confucianism, and xenophobia(hatred towrd foreigners).
Current Status of our Churches Today: Are we Ready?
Now is the time...If North Korea were to open its doors today, how much of a difference could the Christian Church make? You might have heard about the severe famine and of the millions dying, but many of us have grown callous to the dozens of news stories we have heard. Currently, Christians are gravely unprepared for the reunification of the two Koreas. We do not have the proper infrastructure established to meet either the physical or spiritual needs of the North Korean people. What is more alarming, however, is that the multi-billion dollar empire of the cult led by Rev. Sun-Myoung Moon* and other cults such as the Jehovah's Witnesses have been preparing for North Korea opening its doors for a number of years. How terrifying would it be if, once the doors were opened, those that need the saving grace of Jesus were fed instead with the false teachings of these cults.
When the Soviet Union collapsed, the Christian Church was unprepared to seize this great opportunity for evangelism. Instead, numerous cults entered the area and led millions astray. After the collapse, the Russian government requested that a Bible be distributed to every student in its school system, but the Church was not equipped to meet this request.
*The Unification Church is an aberrant cult that was founded in 1954 by Rev. Sun-Myung Moon. Moon claims to be the messiah of the Second Coming and his wife is the Holy Spirit. He and his wife, called The True Parents where he is the True Father and his wife the True Mother, are the first couple to be able to bring forth children with no original sin. (for more info on their beliefs see http://www.carm.org/list/moonies.htm and http://www.gospelcom.net/apologeticsindex/u05.html) Moon is also head of a huge empire of countless front organizations and thousands of businesses (most notably the Washington Times) worth billions of dollars (see list at ]http://www.rickross.com/reference/unif/Unif12.html#us_businesses).[/i]
The NK Missions World Network
The World Network for North Korea Missions (NK Missions) is a Christian ministry dedicated to reaching the people of North Korea with the love and gospel of Christ. Through a dynamic web ministry (www.nkmissions.com) and other channels of influence, NK Missions is active in spreading awareness, mobilizing and coordinating efforts for North Korea missions. The vision of NK Missions is to provide the infrastructure and leadership necessary to mobilize and coordinate efforts for North Korea missions. Our Goals:
1. Spreading awareness: The first step in mobilizing for North Korea missions is spreading awareness of the dire need in North Korea. North Korea is perhaps the most secluded and secretive country in the world. Millions are dying without ever hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ. NK Missions is trying to get the word out and get Christians interested and praying for North Korea.
2. Building a network: NK Missions is working toward building a network of Christians interested in North Korea missions. This network will connect people with current North Korea mission news and opportunities of training and involvement. Further, from this network many other networks can be established to join those of more specific interests, such as by occupation or expertise. NK Missions is also working toward enabling each person on the network to become an active and growing participant in North Korea missions. This network will become the main infrastructure to mobilize and coordinate mission efforts in the case of a sudden collapse of North Korea.
3. Preparing for collapse: In the event of a sudden collapse of North Korea, the Christian Church must seize the opportunity. NK Missions is working toward collecting and storing a Bible for each household in North Korea and coordinating teams that will be able to deliver them within the first 6 months that North Korea opens up. Also, NK Missions is working towards mobilizing a church planting team for every village in North Korea that will enter the country within the first 6 months it opens up. Besides these efforts, NK Missions is working on mobilizing medical, educational, social and other teams that will be ready to enter North Korea. In the case that North Korea does not suddenly collapse but rather gradually opens up, NK Missions will explore avenues of creative access missions into North Korea.
4. Coordinating mission efforts: NK Missions is eager to work together with other missions groups and churches to coordinate mission efforts in North Korea. First, NK Missions is working on coordinating knowledge sharing by pooling expertise and experiences together at www.nkmissions.com . Second, NK Missions is working toward coordinating training efforts to get people prepared to share the gospel and impact North Korea. Third, NK Missions is working on facilitating coordination and cooperation with current and future mission efforts inside North Korea.
