North Korea responded to the United Nations Human Rights Council (re: human rights abuses) by focusing specifically on discipleship bases reaching North Koreans in Northeast China:
There are in the northeastern area of China so-called churches and priests exclusively engaged in hostile acts against the DPRK. They indoctrinate the illegal border crossers with anti-DPRK ideology and send them back to the DPRK with assignments of subversion, destruction, human trafficking and even terrorist acts,” it said.
The importance and significance of this cannot be overstated: North Korea is choosing to publicly blame Christian missionaries for its human rights problems and internal difficulties.
From a field standpoint, the situation facing North Korean work in Northeast China is tight and getting tighter. Don’t expect China to do nothing. If North Korea is pointing to missionaries operating in China as a source of potential North Korean instability, and if it is alleging that China is the host, then missionaries can expect an increasing crackdown on churches and discipleship bases reaching North Koreans.
From a public perception standpoint, expect that North Korea will more and more seek sympathy and support from the general global public by striking an anti-Christian chord.
Keep an eye on this. It is the most important development regarding Christian ministry to North Korea in the last decade. And of course please continue to pray for us and the others operating discipleship bases across Asia.
Do the Word 
So you sense that things will get tighter in China. Do you think that other nations will also began to scold and admonish Christians for working with North Koreans in China and elsewhere? I am thinking even of the U.S. and/or European nations, given the hostility to Christianity that is growing in these nations. I know this can be difficult to predict, but it seems that perhaps you were alluding to this. It’s definitely a matter to keep in prayer.
It certainly would not surprise me, Jody. When articles are published about our balloon launching, I note that there are segments of the population that respond quite adamantly that what we are doing is reprehensible and that North Korea’s repression of religion is actually rather understandable and something that we should respect.
I just read your response–thanks. This gives me more fuel for prayer! :>}
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Thank you for being faithful in prayer, especially to pray scripture!
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