Saturday, 30 July 2016 17:14
Believing for Breakthrough in North Korea
Written by Ben Torrey
During last week's UPRISING youth prayer assembly and especially in our visit to the DMZ separating North and South Korea, we prayed for the reunification of this divided land. Along with the many Koreans that are praying on both sides of the border, we are trusting that history is being shaped through all of this intercession. Please pray with us for this breakthrough to happen soon. Pray that the North Korean people can be liberated and especially tens of thousands suffering acute oppression in the prison camps, including many believers in Christ. Let's believe the Lord, letting Him guide our intercession.
Here is a report from Ben Torrey, a third generation missionary living in South Korea who monitors the situation in the North with monthly updates like this:
"Even as North Korea increases the anti-American rhetoric in response to Kim Jong Un's being placed on the sanctions list personally and in anticipation of the annual South Korea and US war-games, there are growing tensions between South Korea and China over the decision to deploy the THAAD anti-missal system. The decision was made in response to North Korea's continuing development of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles. There is concern that China is moving back towards supporting the North and will renege on the sanctions. China and North Korea took advantage of the recent ASEAN Regional Forum in Laos to improve relations.
Things have been especially tense along the Chinese border as some guards were attacked recently and another has defected into China even as the North is calling more on people to inform on those using Chinese cell phones. The North has also detained a former defector, Ko Hyon-chul, allegedly for abducting North Korean orphans at the behest of South Korean intelligence. The South took advantage of this claim to refute it and others while calling for the repatriation of the South Koreans currently serving prison terms in the North.
Meanwhile, the people continue to struggle to cope with Kim Jong Un's increasing propaganda and labor demands. The struggle was too much for one woman in Ryanggang Province who committed suicide. Increasingly, government demands and propaganda are being ignored or mocked by the children of cadres and other college students who bribe their way out of attendance at mandatory celebrations. They are losing faith in the official history as they gain greater exposure to foreign media. There has been great anticipation in the North of the release of the new South Korean blockbuster, "Operation Chromite" about the Incheon landing that turned the tide in the Korean war. The film was released on July 27. Viewers in the North are especially interested to compare it to the North Korean propaganda film, "Wolmido" about the same event. The skepticism just grows... There is a new "Myohyang" tablet computer supposedly the product of North Korean expertise. Users have been checking it out and finding evidence of Chinese manufacture. In other efforts to influence young minds, the Leader--who has banned smoking in the North--was recently seen smoking during a school visit. Mixed signals...
Keep praying."