North Korea's "Dear Leader" Kim Jong-il has died of a heart attack at the age of 69.

The Winter 2011 issue of Church in Chains magazine focusses on North Korea and our current project is linked with this feature.

The isolation of North Korea for more than 50 years has been a huge barrier to spreading the message of Jesus, as vigilant border guards sought to ensure that no Bibles entered the country. However, the missionary vision of growing numbers of Chinese Christians and the advent of new technology have dramatically changed the picture.

In mid-May, 23 North Korean Christians attending a house church meeting in Pyongan Province were discovered by police and arrested.

They were interrogated at length, tried, and the three leaders were sentenced to death and executed. The others were sent to the kwan-li-so (penal labour colony).

Robert Park, a 28-year-old Korean American missionary, has returned to his home in the USA after being released from prison in North Korea.

Ri Hyon Ok, aged 33, has been publicly executed for distributing the Bible, and also for charges of spying for South Korea and the United States, according to reports from a South Korean based alliance of human rights groups.

 Irish Christians will be joining in the Global Week of Prayer for North Korea next week – beginning on Monday 25th June (the anniversary of the start of the Korean War). CCFC has produced a special Prayer Card (pictured) encouraging prayer under the following headings – North Korean government, Juche ideology, Underground Church, Labour Camps, Refugees from North Korea and Revival.

The Global Week of Prayer is part of a Year of Prayer which has been called by the church in South Korea marking the centenary of the Pyongyang Revival – when a great spiritual revival swept through the city which is now capital of North Korea.

On the centenary day of the Pyongyang (now capital of North Korea) Great Revival, the South Korean Church proclaimed an International Year of Prayer for North Korea in 2007. The announcement was made at the Seoul Olympic Gymnastic Stadium before an audience of 15,000. During the event, balloons were released as a symbol of peace (pictured).