Please remember Kenneth Bae (Bae Jun Ho) who is held captive in North Korea.  He has been able to send letters home to his family and a video interview with him was released recently. His health (he is diabetic) has been deteriorating. His family is working hard to get the US government interested in freeing him but have been disappointed with the response so far…

The Kaesong Industrial zone is still closed down and talks about opening it have not been successful so far. There is growing concern that this landmark symbol of North and South Korean cooperation may fade away with the North Korean government taking possession of all the assets belonging to South Korean companies.

Internal discontent continues to grow inside North Korea over a number of things not least of which is growing corruption among officials. Things have also been aggravated by quick decisions made with seemingly little thought as to consequences. A couple of Kim Jong Un's recent efforts have back fire. Supposedly concerned about students, he shortened the school year only to anger people because of the shorter period to prepare for exams. His major publicity effort to create a modern ski resort is also causing a lot of grief and disillusionment (and attempts to stem the flow of bad news) as heavy rains caused major mud slides there.

The recent seizure of a North Korean ship transiting the Panama Canal from Cuba that contained MiG jets and obsolete missile parts supposedly bound for North Korea to be refurbished has raised again the specter of North Korean arms trade. At the same time, the North continues to try to bolster their image as a threatening nuclear power by featuring their backpack bomb unit (see picture here) at the recent parade to celebrate the "Great Fatherland Liberation War Victory Day" (July 27th, the 60th anniversary of the armistice ending active fighting in the Korean War in 1953).  Experts are not much concerned, though. The North lacks the skill to truly miniaturize a nuclear device that would fit in a back-pack.

Ben Torrey <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>

Song about North Korea by Robert Park

Watch the music video for the song “Indifference”: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILjAP5SmxTE&feature=youtu.be

The song “Indifference” deals with the ongoing North Korean humanitarian/human rights emergency, and the seemingly willful powerlessness of the international community to meaningfully address it. While much attention is paid to the DPRK’s nuclear and WMD development, virtually nothing is being done to prioritize the lives of starved, brutalized and enslaved masses, including numberless children. A decades-long compassionless and uncreative fear-based approach to North Korea has only exacerbated the crisis on every level, and at an incalculable human loss.

STOP NK GENOCIDE ‪<This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>

Pray for the release of Ken Bae and all held in prison camps who are suffering for their faith or for suspicion over their political persuasions. All three generations of the families of those accused of being Christians or being disloyal to the government are imprisoned to be worked to death. Pray for the closing down of such Nazi-like concentration camps and for either the reform or removal of the wicked regime of Kim Jung Un.