As I stared out across the river my prayer came as easily as drawing breath: "Lord, may your kingdom come in North Korea as it is in heaven".
I was standing at the southerly edge of a somewhat underwhelming divide between two vastly different countries. For some reason I had expected more. Something more unusual or definitive perhaps, but this was just a murky brown river. Yet I knew that on the opposite riverbank, hidden from view, were hundreds of metres of landmines, razor wire and more military lookout posts. Beyond that, millions living in the world's most repressive country under a chaotic, despotic regime where simple everyday acts might lead to a death sentence - watching South Korean television for instance. Or praying to God just as I had done.
I'm sure we all have those special places that sit with us and urge a prayer for God's kingdom to come there just like it is in heaven. Perhaps sometimes it's a quiet whispered prayer for the place where we live, and at other times it comes as a bold declaration of hope for the future. Whenever I travel I usually find myself stirred at some point during my visit to pray that simple prayer inviting and imploring God to bring His kingdom and all that wonderful promise contains – the peace, justice, righteousness and freedom that is the Kingdom of God.
This time as I prayed and asked God to bring his kingdom to North Korea I felt more acutely the gulf between the reality of the country I was praying for and the coming Kingdom of Christ. Through binoculars I could see the tiny block-built houses, the 'Tower of Life' obelisk dedicated to the Kim dynasty which stands near the border, identical to thousands of others erected across the country as a constant visible reminder of the Kims' absolute power. And as I silently prayed for a group of North Korean soldiers who were staring back towards me, the rain started to fall and the eeriest of sounds echoed across the river. In response to South Korean loudspeakers which direct K-Pop music over the demilitarised zone, the North Koreans have set up a giant PA system which broadcasts a bizarre sound similar to white noise, only somehow far more discordant and disturbing.
I was in Korea for the launch of CSW's latest report on the situation of human rights in North Korea and the plight of Christian groups in particular. We launched to a packed room in Seoul and were welcomed by government officials, church leaders, NGO partners and academics alike. Most importantly we spent time with defectors who had risked everything to escape to South Korea. Escapees like my friend Jun, a young man who travelled secretly through North Korea and China in a bid for freedom.
Jun had grown up in a relatively middle-class family, but even so they faced constant hunger. He told me his middle-class status allowed him the luxury of a single egg per week on top of the meagre allowance of grain. He showed me pictures taken after his arrival in South Korea which show an emaciated teenager that bore little resemblance to the young man I met.
For 10 months Jun walked in daily fear of being discovered by Chinese authorities who would forcibly return him to North Korea. If returned he would have faced torture, imprisonment or execution for leaving the country. The three key questions that are asked of each returnee are: "have you watched South Korean media?", "have you viewed pornography?" and "have you had contact with Christians?". An affirmative answer to any of those questions is likely to result in your forced disappearance and/or execution by firing squad.
Jun also told me that he had never met a Christian until he arrived in China; being a follower of Jesus in North Korea is unbelievably difficult and risky. If discovered Christians are dealt with as if they were terrorists committing treason. Churches are tiny and isolated, meeting in family homes, always in secret.
CSW's latest report comes 10 years after the publication of a landmark report by the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on North Korea and considers what has changed in the country. Sadly, the short answer is that there has been no improvement. While the world has changed hugely over the past ten years the situation in North Korea is just as bleak as it was when the COI was released. The report is intended to, once again, call attention to this evil regime and asks the world not to look away and not to forget the plight of North Koreans but instead speak up and pray for change in that country.
And so as I reflect on my time in Korea I find myself praying again with confidence and hope: "Lord, may your kingdom come in North Korea!".
Scot Bower is the CEO of Christian Solidarity Worldwide.
