2. NORTH KOREA IDOP CANADA – NORTH KOREA 2012 Capital city - Pyongyang. Total population: 23.9 million Christians: 400,000 (approx.). One of the most repressive regimes in the world. The communist regime started in 1948 under the dictatorship of Kim Il-Sung. He was succeeded by his son, Kim Il-Jung in 1994 who presided over the country till his death in December 2011. The brutal legacy carries on now under his son, Kim Jong-Un. World Watch List Ranking 2012: For the tenth consecutive year, North Korea holds the first position on the World Watch List. It remains the most difficult country in the world to live in as a Christian. Between 50,000-70,000 Christians are being held in prison camps.

3. NORTH KOREA IDOP CANADA – NORTH KOREA 2012 Challenges Before North Korean Christians Christianity is forbidden and there are no churches in the country. Christian activities are labelled as Anti-North Korean Criminal activities. A discovered Christian faces death. Even the immediate family is punished severely or killed. The government trains spies and tries to infiltrate Christian networks. Under the new leadership of Kim Jong-Un, more than a hundred secret agents have been dispatched to China to hunt down Christian refugees. However, despite the repression, Christianity is growing.

4. NORTH KOREA IDOP CANADA – NORTH KOREA 2012 Persecution Faced by North Korean Christians Eun-Yeong* was 32 when she fled to China from North Korea. She came to know Jesus there. In an attempt to return to North Korea, she was captured and is now imprisoned in a labour camp. Jong-Cheol* was 11 when he escaped from North Korea into China. In China, Open Doors helped him with food and shelter and housed him with a Christian family. He became a Christian. However, he was recaptured, returned to North Korea, interrogated and beaten. He died in custody, because he refused to deny that he was a Christian. Kim Tae Jin* is 56 and accepted Christ while at a concentration camp. He was released from the prison camp after four years on grounds of good behaviour. The suffering he experienced was immense, but he is grateful to God for the new life he found in Jesus. *(names changed to protect their identities)

5. NORTH KOREA IDOP CANADA – NORTH KOREA 2012 Prayer Points Pray that political changes under Kim Jong-Un will bode well for the country and for Christians living there in secret. Please pray that Christians will be able to worship without fear. May they be able to openly hold a Bible in their hands and share the word of God freely. Please pray for Christians who are still in labour camps. Pray that they might find new strength in God every day. Pray for the many people who are homeless. Pray for the refugees in China, who feel the responsibility to give support to their families, but live in constant danger of being betrayed and arrested.