How do you follow Christ when …
… your whole family could be imprisoned if you even speak the name of Jesus?
… owning a Bible can carry the death penalty?
… you’re struggling to survive without food?
These aren’t just hypotheticals for North Korean Christians — they’re a daily reality. So how do you follow Christ in North Korea?
Faithful Under Fire
Underground churches in North Korea meet in homes, forests, or even caves
This year, North Korea was once again named the most dangerous country in the world to be a Christian.
The penalty for following Christ in North Korea is so high that someone caught with even a Bible verse in their possession could be sent to a labor camp, along with their entire family. Right now, an estimated 70,000 North Korean Christians are suffering in these deadly prisons.
Those who manage to evade discovery must exercise great caution. New “anti-reactionary thought laws” released by the North Korean government officially outlawed the distribution of any unapproved outside information — including God’s Word.
That’s why many Christ-followers and seekers don’t have access to Bibles. And in fact, someone smuggling or possessing this information could even face execution.
Instead, North Koreans often carry Bible verses on scraps of paper and hide them under floorboards or in the ground. Anyone in their community could be a government spy, and one mistake could mean immediate arrest.
Even though the risks are so great, North Korean Christ-followers continue to meet and worship in secret. They close curtains, huddle together, and whisper prayers and worship, trusting God to protect them.
Running Out of Food
North Korea is experiencing food shortages that rival the severity of the famine in the 1990s
Over the past several years, North Korea has also grappled with devastating food shortages.
The country is prone to natural disasters like floods, droughts, and typhoons. These weather events often threaten important crops — North Korea’s main food source. When these crops are damaged or destroyed, Christ-followers and other impoverished people suffer the most.
Right now, six out of every 10 North Koreans live in extreme poverty without stable access to food and other necessities. Many families are surviving on a single meal a day. Others must search the forests and fields for anything they can eat.
Making a Way
Persecuted Christians in North Korea are still asking for Bibles despite the risk
With the odds seemingly stacked against them, how do North Korean Christians follow Christ in the most hostile place in the world?
The answer can be found in Isaiah 43:19, which says, “I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”
In the Old Testament, God made a way out of exile for Israel — and He has continued to protect and guide His followers in all circumstances. That’s why the Gospel is thriving in North Korea, even under intense persecution.
More and more North Koreans are coming to Christ. Despite the government’s best attempts to keep God out, no laws or borders can hold Him back.
How You Can Help
Will you demonstrate God’s love to someone in North Korea today?
Right now, North Korean Christ-followers and seekers desperately need two things: Bibles and food. They’re going hungry and struggling to survive. And in the face of great danger and persecution, they’re still asking for God’s Word.
Here’s the good news: you can provide them with these life-changing items. You can be a lifeline and a demonstration of God’s love in North Korea. God often uses His children to accomplish His purposes, and when we demonstrate our love for others through our actions, it not only glorifies God — it also advances His Kingdom.
Every $20 you give provides one Christian in North Korea with a week’s worth of food plus their very own Bible. Your gift will transform lives and help advance the Gospel in North Korea.
And since North Korean Christians often share their Bibles with trusted family and friends, your support will have an even bigger eternal impact!
You can be the hands and feet of Jesus to North Korean Christ-followers in need. Click the button below to give today.