Page 6 - Persecution-Trends-Report-2024

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comprehensive anti-espionage law,
many Christians who communicate
with foreigners or foreign entities run
the risk of being accused of sharing
information inappropriately. A number
of church leaders have already been
imprisoned falsely on alleged charges
of fraud.
‘Please continue to pray for and
encourage others to pray for Christians
in China, including the Chinese diaspora
who typically have not had a burden
to reach out and support those in
mainland China.
‘A shortage of Bibles is becoming an
increasing reality, now that Bibles
cannot be legally sold in China. The
unregistered church has zero access to
legal copies and needs help to source a
minimum of 2 million copies annually
for their new believers. Realistically, the
need is much greater, potentially up to
20-plus million Bibles a year.’
PRAY
•
 For wisdom in assessing how best to
continue to support China’s believers
(in what is perhaps the most difficult
ministry context in 40 years)
•
 That the distribution of SD cards
will continue safely and without
detection
•
 For the best Christian resources to
reach leaders and believers, which
meet their needs and empower them
in their Christian lives
NORTH KOREA
North Korea isolated its citizens even
more during the Covid pandemic,
evidenced most clearly by the erection
of a second ‘border wall’ along the
China border, but that isolation was
hardly a time of national stagnation,
said our partners, Voice of the Martyrs
Korea (VOMK).
‘North Korea went nuclear, tested
missiles, continued its military parades,
and carried out computer hacking at a
level of sophistication and success that
few nations can match. Kim Jong Un
shared headlines with Vladimir Putin
and Xi Jinping.’
Even ordinary citizens used the
lockdown period to their advantage,
watching smuggled videos of Korean
dramas, and in the case of believers,
listened to Christian radio broadcasts.
Daily broadcasts (including new ones
added by VOMK during the daytime
hours when workers would normally
be away from home), digital Bibles,
and Christian video content all spread
rapidly. ‘Only now are North Korean
authorities beginning to realise and
correct their omission with resumed
house-to-house searches. Jamming
efforts against broadcasts, including
especially ours, continue to increase.’
They expect there may be an increase
in the number and frequency of the
desperate and unusual forms of escape
that have already begun.
At the same time, even though there
is a famine of God’s word, more North
Koreans are seeing the Bible than at
any other time in Korean history!
VOMK said: ‘At the request of our
North Korean underground Christian
partners, VOMK continues to provide
Bibles by land, sea, air, radio and
internet. We continue to equip North
Korean defectors in South Korea with
the discipleship strategies and methods
entrusted to us by the underground
church. Our students reach North
Koreans wherever they are found.’
PRAY
•
 That the bold and faithful
evangelistic spirit of the North
Korean underground church would
impact Release International’s
supporters and help them to prepare
for underground church
•
 That Christians in North Korea would
remain faithful witnesses
North Korea continued its military
parades during the pandemic;
Kim Jong Un (pictured above)
shared headlines with
other authoritarian leaders