Displaying items by tag: North Korea
Over 200 Million Christians Face Persecution Worldwide
Global persecution of Christians has risen for the fourth year in a row and is on a "rapid rise" in Asia fueled by "extreme religious nationalism," a new report warns.
The report from Open Doors UK, released Wednesday, offers a stark picture of Christian persecution around the world.
"Religious nationalism is sweeping the globe according to figures released today as part of the Open Doors 2017 World Watch List," said Lisa Pearce, CEO of Open Doors UK & Ireland, Catholic News Agency reported.
"Persecution levels have been rising rapidly across Asia and the Indian subcontinent, driven by extreme religious nationalism which is often tacitly condoned, and sometimes actively encouraged, by local and national governments."
According to the report, all top 10 countries with the worst persecution of Christians are in Asia and Africa.
North Korea is still the most difficult place in the world to be a Christian, with Somalia ranking second, followed by Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Sudan, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Yemen, and Eritrea, the report found.
Other "key findings" were:
- Islamic extremism is the main engine of persecution in 14 out of the most hostile 20 countries in the World Watch List, and 35 of the top 50.
- In the Middle East, Christians face pressure under both radical and autocratic regimes.
- Over 200 million Christians in the 50 countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian experience high levels of persecution because of their faith.
http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/christian-persecution-middle-east-africa/2017/01/12/id/768326/
Let’s pray for the rejection and overthrow of religious nationalism and for our brothers and sisters in Christ, especially in the countries listed, who continue to suffer great abuse and even death for their faith.
Spreading the gospel in North Korea
Chinese pastors are on their way to North Korea in the New Year to spread Christianity. While remaining anonymous for security reasons, the pastors claim that they have been through the worst of times in life and have only received salvation through God. One pastor was a second-in-command of a mafia gang before coming to Christ. Since then, he has been preaching the gospel to whomever he meets in house churches; some are North Koreans who fled their country to find refuge in China. He and other Chinese pastors are going to preach the gospel in North Korea itself. He said, ‘Before, the North Koreans came to China, but now, we send Chinese people to North Korea through a Christian brother who has a registered travel agency. So, as Christians, we can travel to North Korea.’
Dangerous Developments in North Korea
(CNN) Political uncertainty in the United States and in South Korea could give North Korean leader Kim Jong Un "an apt time" to develop nuclear weapons "at all costs by the end of 2017," a high-profile North Korean diplomat who recently defected to South Korea said Tuesday.
"Due to domestic political procedures, North Korea calculates that South Korea and the US will not be able to take physical or military actions to deter North Korea's nuclear development," Thae Yong-ho, formerly No. 2 at the North Korean Embassy in London, said in a news briefing, according to the Yonhap News Agency.
Thae said Kim has no plans to give up the country's nukes even if he is offered huge sums of money, saying the leader is "racing ahead with nuclear development after setting up a plan to develop it (nuclear weapons) at all costs by the end of 2017."
President-elect Donald Trump signaled last week that he will look to "strengthen and expand" the US nuclear capability, tweeting, "The United States must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes." Trump's comments came hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin also pledged to enhance his country's nuclear forces.
What could Trump do about North Korea? Pyongyang will try to open dialogue with Seoul's and Washington's new administrations as a nuclear-possessing state, Thae predicted of the North's strategy to obtain a nuclear power status.
Until then, North Korea will continue to launch military provocations and conduct nuclear tests in a bid to frustrate Seoul's and Washington's sanctions-concentrated policy towards Pyongyang, Thae said.
"North Korea believes that relentless provocations must shift new (South Korean and US) governments' policy lines into more stability-focused ones," he said according to the Yonhap News Agency, one of the few outlets allowed into the briefing.
North Korea has recently stipulated a dual nuclear-economic development policy to be part of the ruling party's official platform, but in reality, the decision puts nuclear development at the top priority, he said.
"Following the ruling party congress in May, Kim Jong-un made it a party policy to finish nuclear development within the earliest time possible," he told the news agency.
Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said in October that it's a "lost cause" to try to get North Korea to surrender its nuclear weapons.
"They are under siege and they are very paranoid. So the notion of giving up their nuclear capability, whatever it is, is a nonstarter with them," Clapper said in remarks at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. "The best we could probably hope for is some sort of a cap."
CNN.com
New satellite photos published by a group investigating the human rights abuses in North Korea have confirmed that secret prisons where detainees are tortured, raped and murdered are expanding in terms of size.
Please pray for the frustrating and overthrow of North Korea’s efforts to develop ballistic missiles that can carry nuclear weapons across the world. Let us also continue to pray for regime reform or change so that this country can escape its prolonged isolation and deep human suffering. Pray too for the closing down of these secret prisons and the rescue of those being so horrifically abused in them.