Tag: South Korea

‘Tolerated’ Christianity in N Korea?

August 4, 2015 North Korea Hyeon Soo Lim, North Korea, Pyongyang University of Science and Technology, South Korea, USA

In the first of a series about the worst places in the world for Christian persecution, BBC reporter Stephen Evans finds that Christians in North Korea are tolerated in some areas so long as they do not proselytise by, for example, handing out bibles. North Korea has topped the Open . . . Read More

N Korea says Canadian pastor ‘admits’ espionage

July 30, 2015 North Korea Hyeon Soo Lim, North Korea, South Korea

A Canadian pastor arrested in North Korea in March has made a statement in which he says he tried to undermine the government. Hyeon-soo Lim, a native of South Korea and Canadian citizen who serves in , told a news conference in Pyongyang his humanitarian work in North Korea has . . . Read More

Canada confirms pastor detained in North Korea

March 6, 2015 North Korea China, Hyeon Soo Lim, Kenneth Bae, North Korea, South Korea, USA

The Canadian government has confirmed to the family of pastor Hyeon Soo Lim that he has been detained in North Korea. This follows earlier reports that nobody had heard from Lim, 60, since he crossed the Chinese border on 31 January. Lim, who is married with one son, grew up . . . Read More

Canadian pastor ‘not heard from’ in North Korea

March 3, 2015 North Korea Hyeon Soo Lim, North Korea, South Korea, USA

The head pastor of a large Canadian church has failed to return from a humanitarian visit to North Korea. Reverend Hyeon Soo Lim, 60, had made hundreds of trips to the secretive state where he helped oversee an orphanage, a nursery and a nursing home. Speaking on behalf of the . . . Read More

Pope’s Korean visit highlights plight of North’s Christians

August 15, 2014 North Korea Jeffrey Fowle, Kenneth Bae, Kim Jong Wook, Kim Jong-Un, North Korea, Pope Francis, South Korea

Pope Francis has arrived in South Korea and is calling for peace and dialogue between the two Koreas instead of ‘displays of force.’ His five-day visit is the first time a Pope has visited the Korean Peninsula in 25 years. It coincides with the appeals of two detained American Christians, . . . Read More

China crackdown on charities along its North Korea border

August 13, 2014 China China, North Korea, Pope Francis, South Korea

According to Reuters, ‘China is cracking down on Christian charity groups near its border with North Korea … with hundreds of members of the community forced to leave the country and some who remain describing an atmosphere of fear.’ The action is believed to be aimed at closing off support . . . Read More

Churches plan peace-building on Korean Peninsula

June 20, 2014 Churches, North Korea, South Korea, Switzerland

The World Council of Churches sponsored a meeting of international group of church leaders from 34 countries, including North and South Korea, in Switzerland to advance reconciliation and peace on the Korean peninsula. It was the meeting of its type since 2009. According to the official statement released at the . . . Read More

Amnesty tells North Korea to end Christian persecution

June 9, 2014 North Korea Bibles, House churches, Missionaries, North Korea, South Korea

Amnesty International has said North Korean authorities must release all those detained solely for their religious beliefs, following reports that an American tourist has been arrested after he left a Bible at a hotel. According to the state-run Korean Central News Agency, the man arrived April 29 and was detained . . . Read More

S. Korean missionary gets life sentence

June 2, 2014 North Korea House churches, Kim Jong Wook, Missionaries, North Korea, South Korea

North Korea on Friday sentenced South Korean missionary Kim Jong-Wook to life in a labor camp. Kim was arrested in October, charged with establishing underground churches, though other sources had said North Korean secret agents had brought him into the country from the Chinese border city Dandong. Kim “admitted” during . . . Read More

North Korea’s torture, starvation and killings

March 26, 2014 North Korea China, North Korea, South Korea, Torture, UN

The UN Human Rights Council in Geneva has debated a report which accuses North Korea of systematic torture, starvation and killings comparable with Nazi-era atrocities. Their findings were based on testimony from hundreds of victims, defectors and witnesses. The report called for the closure of political prison camps and for . . . Read More

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