Over the past months we have been praying for four people in prison in North Korea and China for the sake of the Gospel.  South Korean Pastor Kim Jung-Wook is serving a life-sentence in North Korea for his efforts to spread the Good News inside North Korea.  Elderly (71 years old) Korean-American, Peter Hahn, has been in detention in Tumen, China since last year.  He operated a technical high school and had a number of projects going in North Korea.  We have just recently learned that he has now been formerly arrested, charged with embezzlement and is now awaiting trial.  The other two people are a Canadian couple, Kevin and Julia Garratt, who ran a coffee shop in Dandong, China and provided humanitarian assistance in North Korea.  They also organized prayer for North Korea.  The latest on them is that Julia has been released from detention, praise God, but only on bail while Kevin was moved to a high security prison.  Both are charged with spying.  Please keep all four of these brave souls, who are suffering for the sake of the Gospel, in your prayers.

Perhaps the gravest concern currently for the people of North Korea is what is called the "barley hump," the period in the spring when last year's harvests are getting depleted and the new harvests have not started coming in yet.  This year is of particular concern because of the extended dry winter and now spring.  On the market front, there are some mixed messages coming out. On the one hand, restrictions on the age at which women are allowed to set up market booths have been eliminated allowing younger women greater freedom to engage in commerce.  On the other hand, travel restrictions have increased as officials everywhere are getting into the act of charging new fees and fines for various types of travel.  For those involved in the markets, they see this as just another fee that they have to absorb. At the same time, there is growing cynicism as people see officials flaunting illegal South Korean products that they have confiscated from the markets.

On the information technology front, North Korea does have an internet, but it is very limited in scope and availability.  Here is an interesting article discussing what the North Korean internet looks like.  There are a few people who do have access to the big Internet beyond North Korea's cyber-border.  They are engaged in collecting knowledge off the 'Net and storing it at a large new data facility being built on an unoccupied island in Pyongyang's Daedong river.

One ongoing prayer is that through access to outside knowledge sources the people of North Korea will continue to learn more about the world outside and understand their own situation better.  Lately, a South Korean song titled "Letter from a Private" has been growing in popularity among young men being drafted into the North Korean army...

Ben Torrey
Director
The Fourth River Project, Inc.
www.thefourthriver.org

After an international prayer initiative for North Korea just completed this week, many are sensing that a new day for a new, united Korea is coming. Let's continue to pray and trust God for the two countries to become one again soon! Here is an encouraging prophetic word that IPC colleague Dr. Leslie Keegel shared in line with this week's initiative:

"A word I received for the group gathering in April to pray for North Korea.

I see the Lord causing a major shift to take place in the supernatural realm over North Korea in answer to the prayers made for that great nation before and also resulting from the prayer initiative in April 2015. The shift in the supernatural realm will dispel the extreme darkness and unseat the principality of lies and deception. That nation has been built on a philosophy based on lies and deception. I see the Lord exposing the lies, confounding the spirit of deception and pulling down that stronghold which has kept people in that nation in darkness and spiritual blindness. The principality power which has blindfolded innocent people and brainwashed them to believe "what is not as if it exists", will be openly exposed and put to defeat and shame.

The falling of that Kingdom of Falsehood will not take place instantly or suddenly, it will be a drawn out process. Nevertheless though quietly, one stone after another from its foundation will be removed very unnoticeably. As those foundation stones are removed, the displacing of such will cause cracks to appear on the walls of the formidable strongholds of that empire. Little by little the cracks will widen and finally will crash with a loud bang shaking the whole earth. The impact of that fall on that nation and the surrounding nations will be huge and crippling economically and structurally. Thousands upon thousands will emerge out of darkness to see the marvelous light, to be confronted with the truth. The Church which now is in that great nation though hidden is strong and beautiful. She will emerge victorious to rejoice with the global body of Christ as the truth and her hope is finally and gloriously unveiled.

I wish to encourage all who have prayed for North Korea with fervency and in travail, keep on in your good work and do not faint. I know it has been hard, but the Lord says, continue to invest your resources of tears, sweat, emotions and strength for great will be your reward. You will see the Church of North Korea emerge to lead the rest of the body of Christ in the final assault of the kingdoms of darkness of Satan and his oppressive reign over the nations."