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 