Messages from secret believers in North Korea 

Open Doors has received several messages from secret believers in North Korea that reiterate their immense gratitude for your support amidst the hardships of daily life.

Your support continues to be ‘an inexhaustible source of strength’ for secret believers in North Korea. That’s according to one of several new messages sent to you from the country which also give a deeply sobering glimpse into everyday life for North Koreans.  

When the latest World Watch List was released earlier this month, it wasn’t a surprise to see North Korea again topping it. Life for North Korea’s secret believers remains extremely dangerous and it’s made harder by a devasting humanitarian crisis that continues to affect the wider population – one that is largely ignored by the regime as it seeks to strengthen its self-reliance as well as its strategic position on the world stage.  

Cold, dark streets 

“The economic situation of North Korean residents is truly dire,” says a believer. “The streets are dark, and the citizens are suffering greatly in hunger. The government’s constant emphasis on self-reliance as the only way to survive makes North Koreans feel utterly hopeless about their future.” 

Another secret believer shares, “The newspapers and television loudly proclaim that new factories and workplaces provided by the government are producing goods necessary for the people’s daily lives. However, in reality, many factories are not operating.” 

Other messages emphasise the poor health conditions. North Korea is deep in its winter season (December to March), January being the coldest month with temperatures that can reach as low as ten degrees Fahrenheit (-23 degrees Celsius). 

• Why is North Korea number one on the World Watch List?  

“Recently, there was a large temperature difference between day and night, which caused widespread flu and respiratory infectious disease,” one believer explains. “Especially those who are aged or young can catch flu more easily as their immune system becomes weak. Here, it is a great problem to catch a cold because medicines sold in markets are not only very expensive but also are in very small quantities.” 

Once again, the façade of life in North Korea versus the reality creates resentment and confusion. “In a pharmacy, you only see what is displayed, but no actual medicines are available for sale,” another message reveals. “As a result, people endure the illness without proper treatment, or rely on folk remedies, such as boiling radish and ginger with sugar sprinkled on top, or adding sugar to ginger juice and mixing it into hot water as a substitute for medicine.” 

Flourishing faith  

And yet, seemingly against all impossibility, faith in Jesus continues to flourish. Like most of the messages that Open Doors receives from secret believers, words of scripture, gratitude and praise reveal a church with a deep faith and resolve to cling to the gospel. 

“With an unchanging and steadfast faith in the Lord, we have come to deeply realise that we must never abandon our faith in Christ,” says a believer. “Even if it costs us our life. We have to stand firm for the truth of God’s Word.” 

• How do Open Doors fieldworkers help? 

Another message refers to God’s promises in Isaiah 43:2-3: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.” 

The believer adds, “We give thanks and praise to Him who has granted us hope in this autumn after the heavy rains and intense heat of summer, who has kept us as the apple of His eye, and who is ever with us through His abiding presence, Immanuel.” 

It’s through your faithful support and prayers that God’s presence is so often felt. “Your unimaginable warmth and thoughtful actions have touched our lives profoundly, permeating every corner of our daily existence and flowing into us like air, becoming an inexhaustible source of strength,” says a believer. 

“We still exist thanks to your prayers and support,” says another believer.