Where Owning a Bible Will Get You Killed

Once again, North Korea is the most dangerous country for Christians. For more than 20 years, the country has been at or near the top of the World Watch List. In the “hermit kingdom,” being discovered as a Christian can be effectively a death sentence. Often, either believers will be deported to labor camps as political criminals—where they face a life of hard labor which few survive—or they are killed on the spot. The same fate awaits family members. There are believed to be tens of thousands of Christians held in labor camps across the country.

Meeting for worship or owning a Bible is a serious crime in North Korea and will be severely punished. In May 2023, five members of a family were arrested as they gathered for prayer and Bible study. The deplorable treatment of believers is driven by the authoritarian regime’s view that Christians are a particular threat to the country’s leadership and society. However, even in such a hostile place, we know there is an underground church estimated at 350,000 to 400,000 believers whose hope in Christ is greater than the oppression they live under each day.

Pray that secret believers will be protected from the scrutiny of the authorities as they meet together.