01/14/2012 North Korea (Crosswalk) - Since the unexpected death of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il December 17th, and the succession to power of his third son, Kim Jong Un, the underground Christian church has faced increased persecution.
“Three weeks ago seven underground churches got exposed,” says Thomas Kim, executive director of Cornerstone Ministries, which is actively involved in serving the church in North Korea. “It’s been very difficult for the last month and I think it’s going to continue,” he says.
The North Korean leadership apparently fears the kind of insurrection that swept other communist regimes and is now sweeping the Middle East. “They are scared there will be an uprising,” Kim notes. “They are scared by the expansion of the Christian faith because Christians will die for their faith.”
The old guard surrounding Kin Jong Un are anxious for a smooth transition, and this is impacting the church. “The regime has been putting pressure on to stabilize society,” Kim says. In the months preceding Kim Jong Il’s death, there were few attempts to search for underground believers, but that has changed.
“Now the regime is putting out many people to search for the underground church,” Kim notes. “There is a need to pray for protection.”
Kim believes change will come when the old guard is replaced with younger reformers. “The current people surrounding Kim Jong Un are old and have been there a long time,” Kim observes. “They are not reformers; they want to keep the old system.”
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Tags: house church, North Korea
