{"id":15413,"date":"2019-08-06T11:44:11","date_gmt":"2019-08-06T02:44:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/?p=15413"},"modified":"2020-02-18T16:06:57","modified_gmt":"2020-02-18T07:06:57","slug":"vomk-report-67","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/2019\/08\/06\/vomk-report-67\/","title":{"rendered":"SALES OF NORTH KOREAN BIBLES IN SOUTH KOREA SOAR AS PEACE TALKS CONTINUE"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_section][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”In 2019, Voice of the Martyrs Korea, the leading publisher of North Korean dialect Bibles in South Korea, has received more orders for North Korean Bibles from South Korean Christians in more than nearly 20 years. The number of orders is up 30% from last year. Dr. Hyun Sook Foley, Voice of the Martyrs Korea representative, notes that the increase in orders began in spring 2018, as North Korea and South Korea began to engage in peace talks.” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:1.2em|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Noto%20Sans%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal” el_class=”headline”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]\u201cSome of the South Korean Christians who order the Bibles tell us that they want to effectively evangelize North Koreans when opportunities arise for inter-Korean interaction. Others have heard that the North Korean Bible is easier to read and more accurate than the South Korean version, and they want to see for themselves.\u201d[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Linguists claim that the North Korean and South Korean dialects are as much as 40% divergent. North Korean defectors and North Koreans visiting discipleship bases in China report difficulties in understanding the New Korean Revised Bible, the Bible used most commonly in South Korean churches. Representative Foley says that this is the main reason why Voice of the Martyrs began publishing many different versions of the North Korean Bible in 2005.<\/p>\n

\u201cVOM Korea\u2019s goal wasn\u2019t to produce an entirely new NK Bible, nor did it want to do a paraphrase or adaptation of an existing work,\u201d says Representative Foley.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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\u201cInstead, the goal was to use the most linguistically and theologically well-regarded translation of the Bible in the North Korean dialect. Surprisingly, this was a work commissioned by the North Korean government through their Chosun Christian Association. The Chosun Christian Association runs the NK state church and also helps create the outside appearance of freedom of religion in NK. They produced the Common Translation (Pyongyang Version) of the Bible, which was based on the Common Translation Bible published by the Korean Bible Society in 1977.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_column_text]Representative Foley says that the North Korean government only printed 10,000 New Testaments in 1983 and 10,000 Old Testaments in 1984, and that these were never made available to ordinary North Koreans, despite the North Korean government\u2019s insistence of freedom of religion for its citizens.<\/p>\n

VOM Korea sends as many as 50,000 North Korean dialect Bibles (in various forms) per year back into North Korea. These are sent in many different ways, including Bible balloon launches and smuggling in digital audio devices containing a dramatized audio version of the North Korean dialect Bible. Broadcasts recordings of the Bible via shortwave, AM, and satellite broadcasts are also sent into North Korea and across East Asia, as well as through its website. A sample recording can be heard at Radio Broadcasts Ministry<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Representative Foley says, \u201cIt is vital for us to get the North Korean dialect Bible into North Korea using as many different ways as possible.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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