A former propaganda officer for the North Korean army who defected from the secretive state is now working to spread the Gospel amongst his oppressed countrymen.

Kim Sung Min will be speaking about his defection at a banquet on 2 April organised by the Colorado-based ministry Seoul USA. He will also share his hope in the new Underground University, a group which has been set up to serve the severely persecuted church in North Korea.

Kim was once a staunch socialist but became disillusioned with the communist regime because of the lack of freedom and opportunity that he saw in the country. He was arrested after defecting but managed to escape and is now committed to spreading the Gospel in North Korea.

H S Foley, Executive Director of Seoul USA, said, "Mr Kim's eyes were opened to the modern-day Holocaust that was going on around him in North Korea, where Christianity is illegal and even failing to keep a portrait of Kim Jong-Il clean can mean being sent to a political prison camp.

"Like thousands of other North Koreans, he defected to China. But his newfound Christian faith compelled him to spread that message of hope to his fellow North Koreans. So, he became a prominent freedom fighter and advocate for religious freedom for North Korea."

Kim was the founder of Free North Korean Radio and is now the Dean of the Underground University in Seoul, South Korea. The university is a joint project of Seoul USA and The Voice of the Martyrs-Canada and helps to train North Koreans to return to their country so that they can help grow the church there.

Foley said of the 2 April event, "This banquet is a unique opportunity for the people of Colorado to hear the life-changing story of Mr Kim, learn about the persecution of North Korean Christians, and get involved in a radical underground movement designed to change North Korea from the inside out."