NORTH KOREA - “I should have died, but God saved me”
11/12/2006 – A defector from North Korea tells of the heart-rending conditions of life in North Korea, the dangers faced by those who flee to China for refuge and his escape to freedom
On 2 December 2006, Christians gathered outside the Chinese Embassy, London, to demonstrate support for North Korean refugees, repatriated by China. The protest was one of 21 peaceful prayer vigils which took place around the world.
It is a miracle that Park Joo-Chan (a pseudonym) is alive. Because of this, the North Korean knows better than anyone what it is to live by grace. On the night that should have been his last, he got down on his knees to pray for the first time. God heard him and saved him from freezing to death in the Chinese capital of Beijing.
It is hard for anyone looking into the bright eyes of the 33-year-old Joo-Chan to comprehend what his eyes have seen. He is now in the South Korean city of Seoul but is ready to return to North Korea as soon as God calls him.
Army life
When Joo-Chan was 17 years of age, he had to join the army. He admits it was the most difficult period of his life: “We were given very little food and there was never any meat. Occasionally we were given a bit of rice; but we ate maize almost exclusively. Finally I became ill – not only from malnutrition but also from sleeping on ice-cold floors. One of my legs froze. It has never fully recovered and doesn’t work properly anymore.”
Besides training in weaponry and combat for two months a year, soldiers were also instructed in the ideology of the state. “We had to see North and South Korea as one nation. We had already been liberated, thanks to Kim Il Sung, but the South was still under the yoke of the Americans. Moreover, they were responsible for all the bad things and shortages in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (as North Korea is officially known). Occasionally, we considered Christianity – an ‘American’ and ‘perverted’ religion. I don’t remember much more about it.”
After five years, Joo-Chan was granted an early discharge from the army because of his ill health.
Famine
The famine broke out at the time of Kim Il Sung’s death in 1994. Joo-Chan went all around the country looking for food, but in 1998 he decided to flee to China with a friend.
“I could not tell my parents anything. If I had told them about my plans, it would have put them in greater danger. On the day of our escape, my friend and I went into the mountains, hid and waited until it was dark. We couldn’t see our hands in front of our faces when we went down to the river. We had to swim to the other side. We had nothing with us, only the clothes we were wearing.”
Once in China, the pair went to the home of some Chinese Koreans. “They were Christians. I was completely prejudiced against them, but I had no choice but to stay with them. They helped us when no one else would. From their lifestyle, we could see that Christians were very kind people. This was so mainly in the beginning, but with intensifying police checks, the couple became afraid and grew less friendly.
“I was very nervous too. My friend and I couldn’t stay together. He went to work in a restaurant in the town. I went to a building site outside the town. One day, he did not come home. The police made systematic raids on the catering industry in search of illegal immigrants. They caught him and sent him back. I never heard anything more of him.”
Joo-Chan was devastated and turned to alcohol. He became ill and even needed to start using a walking stick. He went to a church for help. “I’d heard on the radio that Korean Christians often helped refugees. The church wanted to help, but could not. However, they collected some money to enable me to buy a train ticket to Beijing. There I wanted to apply to the South Korean embassy. But I was in such a bad state and my clothes were so worn that the police would have seen immediately that I was a North Korean refugee.”
Salvation
In Beijing, Joo-Chan soon used up his money, and his health quickly deteriorated.
“One evening I was certain: this would be my last night. I was lying outside a building and was sure I was going to die. Then for the first time I got to my knees and prayed to the god of the Christians. I said, "God, I am not even 30. I don’t want to die yet. I want to live." After that, I fell asleep.
“He answered my prayer. I did not freeze to death that night! The next day, I met a Chinese Korean who offered to help me, just like that! He introduced me to a church which collected money to pay for me to have an operation. After the operation, I was certain God is alive! He had saved me!”
This salvation radically changed Joo-Chan’s life.
“In the three years that followed, I read the Bible about a hundred times. I did not understand it, but I was particularly moved by John 21, where Jesus tells Peter that when he was young, he dressed himself, but that when he is old, someone else will dress him. I saw this as an example of how God leads a person’s life. I was so happy that God wanted to lead me too.
“Only after being saved by God did I begin to consider myself to be of some worth. I came into contact with Brother Peter from Open Doors. He introduced me to a Bible study group for North Koreans. These Christians also wanted to go back to North Korea to share the Gospel with the people. But at that time God did not want us to go and finally the group disbanded.”
South Korea
Some old friends of Joo-Chan who were already in South Korea discovered where he was. They sent money to help him get to South Korea. It was a long and dangerous journey through several countries, but finally Joo-Chan made it.
Despite the prosperity in Seoul, Joo-Chan thinks only of North Korea: “Through a series of dreams, God has prepared me for my return. I know the risks of going back but when I return, I want to tell the people about one thing only: Jesus’ salvation. I can show them that I am still handicapped with my leg, but that God has brought salvation and that I have the promise of something better in Heaven.”
Pray
Joo-Chan asks that you pray for:
•God to use him
•His theology studies which are very difficult
•His ministry in South Korea, where he has started a Bible study group
•North Korean refugees, especially the women (who are often abused) and children.
END 1185 words