We support people who are beaten, tortured, laughed at, imprisoned, falsely accused, disowned, ignored and hated simply for following Jesus.
News / Thoughts
Updates, ideas, reflections and articles from Open Doors and our friends
North Korea: Amazing Grace in Korean!
There are between 50,000 and 70,000 Christians being held in horrific labour camps in North Korea, simply for daring to believe in Jesus.
Hea Woo is a Christian who was imprisoned in North Korea. When she arrived at the prison camp where she was held, there was a sign saying ‘Do not try to escape, you shall be killed’. She says, “The guards were merciless. They kicked me and beat me with sticks. Christians are sometimes killed or locked up for the rest of their lives in concentration camps.
“Constantly there were people dying. Death was a part of our daily life. The bodies were usually burned and the guards scattered the ashes on the path. Every day, we walked down that path and I always thought, one day the other prisoners will be walking over me.”
God is at work
And yet, even in these labour camps that are like hell on earth, God is at work. Hea Woo says, “God helped me to survive. Even more: He gave me a desire to evangelise among the other prisoners! He showed me whom I should approach. God used me to lead five people to faith. We met together out of the view of the guards. Often that was in the toilet. There we held a short service. I taught them Bible verses and some songs, which we sang almost inaudibly.”
One of the songs that Hea Woo would sing when she was imprisoned was Amazing Grace. When asked what the song means to her, she says, “There have been so many moments in my life where I should have died. But I’m still alive. Thanks to God’s Amazing Grace.”
Listen to her sing the first verse of Amazing Grace in Korean:
Thankfully, Hea Woo was eventually released and managed to escape from North Korea. She now lives in South Korea.
Pray now…
- For God’s amazing grace to be known by many North Koreans
- Ask for strength and hope for those imprisoned for their faith in Jesus
- Pray for the safety of the secret church in North Korea and for ways for Christians to meet and encourage one another
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*Names changed for security reasons
We support people who are beaten, tortured,
imprisoned, falsely accused, and hated simply for following Jesus.
