North Koreans reunite with their loved ones from the South

North Korean and South Korean families are meeting at Mount Kumgang in the North this week as part of reunion events organised by the two countries. “There are at least 20 million relatives separated by the Korean War,” says North Korea escapee, John Choi. “It is the most tragic thing on earth.”

John Choi*, a Christian who escaped North Korea, has shared with Open Doors his thoughts on the reunions that took place this week between North and South Korean relatives. 

Families were torn apart by the Korean War, and this reunion was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a handful of them to come together under heavily guarded, politically influenced circumstances at Mount Kumgang in the North.

“There are at least 20 million relatives separated by the Korean War,” said John Choi. “It is the most tragic thing on earth.”

The process of the family reunion depends on the political climate on the Korean peninsula. After Kim Jong-un and President Moon Jae-in met in April and May, they agreed to resume the reunions.

But John Choi told Open Doors that this isn’t fair: “The process of family reunion depends on political events, but it shouldn’t. They should not be stopped, nor should they be used as a bargaining chip.

“The family reunions are a good thing and should not be counted as one of the political processes. These people who have been separated grow old, and time is running out for their chance to meet each other.”

Your support changes lives: £20 can provide Bible study materials for two courageous North Korean believers, to build their faith and bring them comfort.

Only 89 South Koreans and 83 North Koreans are being allowed to meet. The South Koreans were chosen by lottery. The North Korean participants had to go through a strict propaganda education process. They are told not to say anything negative about North Korean society and must tell their relatives from the South that they are well looked after by their leaders and party, and that it is the best society in the world.

The meetings are monitored by security guards. Any North Korean heard to be criticising the country will be punished. Many South Koreans report being disconcerted and saddened by their relative’s constant praise of the regime.

Everyone brings gifts, including clothes, medicine and food for their relatives, but less is expected from the much poorer North Korean side.

According to John Choi, North Korean families must share money or expensive items with the North Korean authorities.

£58 can provide food, medicine and clothes to support a North Korean family for a month.

North Korea is number 1 on the 2018 Open Doors World Watch List. Persecution is led by the state which sees Christians as hostile elements that have to be eradicated. Due to constant indoctrination, neighbours and family members, including children, are highly watchful and report anything suspicious to the authorities. If Christians are discovered, they are deported to labour camps as political criminals or killed on the spot; their families share their fate. Meeting for worship is almost impossible, so is done in utmost secrecy. The churches shown to visitors in Pyongyang serve mere propaganda purposes.

Meet your persecuted family 

Want to know more about what God is doing amongst our brothers and sisters in North Korea, India and Egypt? Come along to Standing Strong in November, where you'll hear stories of courageous faith firsthand and meet your persecuted family. Book your place today! 

PLEASE PRAY:

• For all of the families who are reuniting, that they will be blessed by the experience
• That God's truth and light would break through the North Korean propaganda, and that people would begin to see things clearly
• For continuing peaceful negotiations between the North and South, that one day there would be true freedom of movement between the two countries.