When Escape Is Not An Option: A True Story of Faith and Grit in North Korea

I’ll never forget the day of the terrible flood in our hometown.

Here I was at home with my one-month-old son, listening to the rain rattle against our windows, when all of a sudden my husband bursts through the front door and shouts, “We need to leave. NOW!”

Little did I know that, while my baby and I had been napping peacefully in our home, outside the heavy rainstorm had created massive floods throughout our city, and we were in danger. I looked outside our front door now to see water surging inside our house. Our car was barely above water. Though we had taken some disaster relief courses on how to be prepared in moments like this, I still panicked. We grabbed the baby, a few diapers and blankets, and fled for our lives.

That’s what you do in the midst of danger. You flee. You escape. You run for your life and you don’t look back.

But what do you do when you can’t escape the terror? I’m not just talking about natural disasters like floods. What about real, physical danger like persecution?

The Remarkable Story of Hea Woo

I recently watched a video about the Hea Woo, an incredible woman of faith in North Korea, who tried to escape from persecution, but couldn’t.

At different times, both she and her husband had tried to escape North Korea, only to be caught by the secret police in China, returned to their homeland and placed in prison camps. Her husband died in that camp. Hea Woo suffered many years of physical, verbal and emotional abuse there.

Escape was not an option for them. Though they tried to get out of their country, they were dragged right back, kicking and screaming most likely. The door was shut. So, instead of fleeing the metaphorical flood of religious persecution, Hea Woo and her husband were forced to stand on sinking ground and brace for the worst of the storm as tidal waves of abuse came surging down on their heads. Can you even imagine?

But, instead of buckling under the storm, Hea Woo’s faith only grew stronger. She turned head first toward her raging persecutors and refused to be silent for her faith. The reason why Hea Woo’s story is so incredible to me is that, in the midst of an awful prison camp, she began a secret church. She began to tell other inmates about the hope of Christ, despite the threat of death. On Sundays and on Christmas, a small collective of believers would meet together in the bathroom, speak Scripture aloud to one another and sing songs. Oh, the incredible grace and strength of Christ in Hea Woo’s life!

Open Doors USA chronicles Hea Woo’s story in more detail, and they say this:

“It’s believers like Hea-Woo who suffer persecution for their faith that brings much-needed perspective on real discipleship. On what it means to obediently, selflessly and courageously follow Jesus.”

When things got tough, she didn’t run away. Instead, she leaned into the storm and got tougher, for the sake of Christ, for the sake of the gospel and for the advancement of Christ’s Kingdom.

You can watch the full video of Hea Woo’s story below or click this link here.

God is at Work in North Korea

Will you join us this month to pray for persecuted Christians like Hea Woo in North Korea?

North Korea is #1 on the World Watch List for persecuted Christians! And the reality of life for Christians in North Korea is hard to imagine—children are indoctrinated to worship the country’s leadership from birth, and any free expression, speech or religion is clamped down tightly. It’s dangerous to be a Christian; so dangerous, in fact that sometimes parents hide their faith from their own children.

If a Christian is caught worshiping, they could be sent to a labor camp where conditions and abuse point to haunting echoes of the worst human rights atrocities in history. Experts estimate there are 80,000-130,000 political prisoners in prison camps in North Korea. Among these are thousands of Christians. In one such camp, “prisoners were tortured and killed on account of their religious affiliation, with officials instructed ‘to wipe out the seed of [Christian] reactionaries.’” It’s not far-fetched to compare these camps to Nazi-era concentration camps. 

Yet, in this country that has historically been home to hundreds of thousands of Christians, God is doing an amazing work. There are over 300,000 Christians in North Korea who are standing firm in their faith and advancing the gospel, no matter the cost. They are not running from the danger, but leaning in and doing great things for the Kingdom!

Will You Join Us In Prayer?

Pray that God will move on Kim Jong Un to release the estimated 50,000 Christians who are unjustly held in detention centers and prison camps throughout the country.

Pray that existing believers within North Korea would take courage to lead a new revival of the Christian faith inside their country.

Pray that the underground church would grow in boldness and be ready for widespread evangelism efforts when the opportunity arises.

Pray that Kim Jong Un will loosen age old requirements that residents attend indoctrination classes and display and bow to Kim family portraits.

Pray that North Korea would admit human rights inspectors to review the conditions of those held in its massive prison camp system.

Pray that Kim Jong Un will allow for the creation of new churches where North Koreans can freely worship outside of the one “show church” that currently exists.