While North and South Korea’s military tension continues, we try to discover what would be the best way to uphold the North Korean mission? At the moment, it is prohibited to publically evangelize to the people of North Korea. Some North Korean defectors rarely went back to their homes with the gospel.
Mr. ChangKyu Choi, CPC President, strenuously insisted that we should raise 10,000 members who will go to North Korea when the gates open. Those who feel responsible for the North Korea mission and who are willing to share their skills with the people there are wanted. Anyone, whether they are well-sinkers, welders, professors, or rice cake makers could have a chance to deliver the gospel.
“More positive support, and help in the settlement process for persons who escaped from North Korean would be the best investment for the future of the North Korea mission,” said Miss DaHae Kim, who escaped from North Korea in 2007.
The North Korean people will accept the help and support of the Adventist church through their family or friends, rather than strangers. In this regard, the Adventist Church needs more people who are willing to be missionaries. The number of North Korean defectors who came to the South is more than 20,000 and most
of them have trouble settling in South Korea. How Far Along Is the North Korea Mission of the Adventist Church? It was 1996 when the Adventist Church officially began their North Korea mission. To prepare for the day when the gates of North Korea open, the Korean Union Conference (KUC) and other conferences began
saving 1% of the tithes in religispecial funding for North Korea. As North Korea decided to designate Sinuiju as a Special Administrative Region in 2002, many Christian denominations expected the opening of North Korea.
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Religious Liberty Conference and Prayer Meeting for North Korean Religious Liberty
At that time, each denomination divided the North Korean territory by administrative units and made concrete plans for mission. The Adventist Church also assigned each North Korean administration unit to the church districts. Since 2003, KUC Overseas Mission office has held a seminar for North Korea mission once or twice a year. In 2004, lay people created a Free North Korean Helpers’ Society. Many pastors and lay people visited Geumgang Mountain for a special prayer meeting in 2007.
KUC Overseas Mission office focuses on the settlement of North Korean defectors and supporting their studies. Several individuals in China are teaching Bible to the North Koreans and sending them back to their home as missionaries.
The North Korean Society Classified as 51 Strata North Korea classifies residents into three groups – core, wavering, and hostile. Those groups are divided into 31 strata.
For example, those who are in the core group have strong self-reliance and socialism ideology and are loyal to the government. In contrast, those who are in the hostile group, like religious people, are placed under strict surveillance.
They forfeit the opportunity to get higher education and they are underprivileged at working place and the community. Thus, we need to meet the needs of the mission targets first. For example, introducing the plan of Salvation of God who is ever gracious and fair to those who were treated unequally is the best way to carryout our mission.