{"id":45155,"date":"2023-01-03T14:30:43","date_gmt":"2023-01-03T05:30:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/?p=45155"},"modified":"2023-01-03T15:22:34","modified_gmt":"2023-01-03T06:22:34","slug":"vomk-report-235","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/2023\/01\/03\/vomk-report-235\/","title":{"rendered":"NORTH KOREAN UNDERGROUND CHRISTIAN\u2019S FAITH RESTORED BY A SINGLE BIBLE VERSE"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_section][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”45160″ img_size=”full”][vc_custom_heading text=”After turning away from Christ in the early days of Kim Il Sung\u2019s regime, a North Korean woman in China was led back to faith by a single Bible verse uttered by a mysterious voice that she alone heard. ” 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_text]Rhee Soon-ja<\/span> (name changed for security reasons)<\/span> has vivid memories of her father reading the Bible to her and her siblings when they were children. <\/span>A<\/span>lthough now <\/span>more than <\/span>80<\/span> years old<\/span>, she can still picture the phrase \u201cChrist Is Lord of This House\u201d hanging from a wall in their home.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u201cMy parents prayed that God would use me as His servant,\u201d she said. \u201cI grew up dreaming of becoming an evangelist.\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Those were the days before Korea split into North and South. Those were the days when the Christian faith flourished in northern Korea.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were many Christians,\u201d <\/span>Mrs. Rhee<\/span> shared from her living room in South Korea. \u201cAll the congregations gathered every Sunday.\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]When <\/span>Mrs. Rhee<\/span> was a young girl, her family was among the first to experience persecution under Kim Il Sung. Her father, a mine worker, was known for his Christian faith \u2014 well enough that many people, including his relatives, criticized him for it. They thought he was too bold in sharing the gospel. But having read the Scriptures, he knew persecution was simply part of following Jesus.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u201cHe taught us that the more we are persecuted, the more we need to trust in the Lord,\u201d <\/span>Mrs. Rhee<\/span> recalled.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]At the end of World War II, when Korea was freed from Japanese colonialism and <\/span>Communism was ascendant in the north<\/span>, <\/span>many <\/span>pastors fle<\/span>d<\/span> south.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u201cAs the Communists became more powerful, even my father became uneasy,\u201d <\/span>Mrs. Rhee<\/span> said. \u201c<\/span>He <\/span>sent <\/span>some of<\/span> my brothers to South Korea to earn a living.<\/span> But <\/span>he <\/span>did not leave North Korea. When our pastor left, our father took his place and kept the church<\/span> operating<\/span>.\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”45152″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][vc_custom_heading text=”Mrs. Rhee\u2019s brother thought hanging a portrait of Kim Il Sung in his home was idolatrous, so he burned it. (Re-enactment) ” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:13px|text_align:center|color:%230f0f0f|line_height:1.45em” google_fonts=”font_family:Noto%20Sans%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The Communists began to occupy church buildings. \u201c<\/span>W<\/span>e had to begin worshiping in our ho<\/span>mes<\/span>,\u201d <\/span>Mrs. Rhee<\/span> said.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Around that time, <\/span>Mrs. Rhee<\/span> had to complete an entrance exam to enroll in school. But when administrators saw that she had stated her religion as \u201cChristian,\u201d they denied her application, and her father had to find another school for her to attend.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]These subtle forms of persecution quickly became the norm, and life became increasingly difficult for <\/span>Mrs. Rhee<\/span>\u2019s family.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u201cMy father used to say, \u2018No matter how much persecution there may be, we must persevere; we have to endure persecution even when we don\u2019t have anything to eat,\u2019\u201d she recalled.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Mrs. Rhee<\/span>\u2019s family <\/span>continued their underground house worship<\/span>. They were aware that they could be killed if they were ever caught.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]In the mid-1960s, <\/span>Mrs. Rhee<\/span>\u2019s brother hosted a prayer gathering at his house<\/span>. <\/span>North Koreans were required to hang a portrait of Kim Il Sung in their home, but Mrs. Rhee\u2019s brother determined that such an act was idolatrous. After the prayer gathering, he burned the portrait. <\/span>One person at the prayer meeting reported the act to authorities, and <\/span>Mrs. Rhee<\/span>\u2019s brother was arrested and sentenced to 20 years in prison.<\/span> Mrs. Rhee<\/span>\u2019s family was separated<\/span>. Her parents were sent to the countryside to work in a hard labor camp<\/span>.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]At that time, <\/span>Mrs. Rhee<\/span> had been married for <\/span>only a few <\/span>years. She and her husband, whose relatives were high-ranking Communist officials, had two young <\/span>children<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u201cMy husband asked me to <\/span>leave<\/span>,\u201d she said tearfully. \u201cOur 3-year-old was holding my leg and asked me not to go anywhere. They kept asking, \u2018When are you coming back?\u2019 To comfort them, I told them, \u2018I will come back after a few days.\u2019 That was the last time I saw them.\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]After losing her husband, children<\/span>,<\/span> and home because of her Christian faith, <\/span>Mrs. Rhee<\/span> lost all hope and began to waver in her faith. \u201cI remember standing on the riverside thinking of committing suicide,\u201d she said, \u201cbut the words of my father kept me from doing it. He had said that our lives are not our own but God\u2019s. I couldn\u2019t die.\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Her brother, however, did die. A family member <\/span>saw him only once <\/span>in prison. I<\/span>t was clear that he was malnourished and had been severely beaten. On the second visit, guards <\/span>said <\/span>he wasn\u2019t available. <\/span>L<\/span>ater, the family learned that he had died.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u201cThe moment I learned that my brother died in prison, I felt there was no God<\/span>,\u201d said Mrs Rhee<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”45150″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][vc_custom_heading text=”This VOM file photo from the early 2000s depicts what appears to be a North Korean execution yard near the Tumen River.” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:13px|text_align:center|color:%230f0f0f|line_height:1.45em” google_fonts=”font_family:Noto%20Sans%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]W<\/span>orried that without a husband she would have no future<\/span>, a family member arranged a marriage for her in China<\/span>.<\/span> T<\/span>he man was not a Christian, but that was no<\/span> longer<\/span> an obstacle for <\/span>Mrs. Rhee<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Years later, w<\/span>hile walking <\/span>down a street in <\/span>Chin<\/span>a<\/span> with her family, she heard someone reciting John 3:16, a verse she remembered <\/span>immediately from <\/span>her youth. When she turned around to see who it was, no one was there. She asked her husband if he had heard anything, but he had not.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u201cI stopped praying after I lost my brother,\u201d she said. \u201cI stopped worshiping. I never thought about God, but in that <\/span>moment<\/span> I was stunned by the words in my head. In that moment, I said, \u2018I have to go to church.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Mrs. Rhee<\/span> soon began an intense Bible study with a pastor she met in China, but her husband never joined them.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]When <\/span>Mrs. Rhee<\/span>\u2019s children<\/span> from her marriage in China grew up, they<\/span> decided to move to South Korea<\/span>. Mrs<\/span>.<\/span> Rhee and her husband eventually followed them<\/span>.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u201cI had to start working as a housemaid immediately to survive,\u201d <\/span>Mrs. Rhee<\/span> said. \u201cFortunately, I met a good homeowner who was a deacon at a church.\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]T<\/span>hough her husband returned to China and eventually passed away, <\/span>Mrs. Rhee<\/span> stayed in South Korea and returned to the Christian faith of her childhood.<\/span> She graduated from <\/span>Underground <\/span>University,<\/span> a discipleship <\/span>training school <\/span>run by Voice of the Martyrs Korea. The <\/span>school <\/span>trains North Korean defectors according to the practices of the North Korean underground church, practices which Mrs<\/span>.<\/span> Rhee had experienced firsthand as a member of an underground Christian family in North Korea.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]As part of the program, s<\/span>he <\/span>participated in <\/span>a <\/span>mission trip<\/span> to<\/span> China<\/span> to evangelize North Korean women married to Chinese husbands.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u201cI cried a lot when I met <\/span>them<\/span>,\u201d she said. \u201cI shared my testimony. They were in their 30s and 40s. For them I was like a mother. I just hugged them, and they were just holding my hand and starting to cry.\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Looking back on her life, she said her biggest regret is that she didn\u2019t listen to her father\u2019s wishes when she was younger.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I can meet my parents [in heaven], I want to say sorry to my father because I couldn\u2019t live as a good Christian when I was in North Korea,\u201d she said. \u201cMy father kept asking me to be an evangelist, but I didn\u2019t follow this.\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Her regrets are slowly fading, though, in the light of an ever-growing faith that her father once prayed she would have. \u201cGod is using me and my vision, and now I am living as an evangelist,\u201d she said. \u201cI think maybe my parents\u2019 prayer is being answered.\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]I<\/span>ndividuals or churches interested in <\/span>learning more about North Korean underground Christians and <\/span>Voice of the Martyrs Korea\u2019s North Korea ministry can <\/span>visit <\/span><\/span>https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/<\/span>en\/<\/span>northkorea\/<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][\/vc_section]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"[vc_section][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”45160″ img_size=”full”][vc_custom_heading text=”After turning away from Christ in the early days of Kim Il Sung\u2019s regime, a North Korean woman in China was led back to faith by a …","protected":false},"author":659,"featured_media":45161,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[857,235,869,140],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-45155","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-russian-special","category-special-column","category-china-special","category-vomk-report"],"translation":{"provider":"WPGlobus","version":"3.0.2","language":"en","enabled_languages":["ko","en","zh","ru"],"languages":{"ko":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false},"en":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false},"zh":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false},"ru":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45155","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/659"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45155"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45155\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":45174,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45155\/revisions\/45174"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45161"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45155"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45155"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45155"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}