What North Korea Needs Right Now

Carl Moeller, President of Open Doors writes:

You've already heard the news and are probably asking yourself, "What can I do for the people locked inside North Korea?"

With the passing of North Korea's Kim Jong-Il, its inhabitants, family members around the world and neighboring countries are living in the fear of uncertainty. And because only God knows what will happen next, we can meet Him in prayer.

Please pray that:

• The new leader, Kim Jong-Un, will have a heart of mercy and end the cycle of inhumane dictatorial rule.
• Those in government who have been "secret Christians" will gain more power and influence.
• Christians who have been imprisoned because of their faith will have opportunities to lead others in prayers. And while they pray the Holy Spirit will be revealed to those who don't know Jesus.
• There will be an increase in opportunities to share about Jesus without fear of retaliation.
• The joy and hope of Jesus will be revealed to those who are sorrowful and feel uncertain of the future.
• North Korean Christians will gain a new boldness and wisdom and will seize opportunities to tell others about the Christmas story of Jesus' birth.
• On Christmas day especially, the light of Christ will penetrate every home and heart in North Korea.
• Refugees who have fled into China and become Christian will courageously return to North Korea and share the hope of Jesus to a hurting nation.
• The horrendous situation with starvation will not escalate even further because of the government's desire to demonstrate control.
• The thousands of starving children who are homeless will find shelter, comfort and love in a home with a believer.

For more information: Open Doors

World Reaction in Quotes

Spokesman for South Korean President Lee Myung-bak

President Lee urged the public to go about their usual economic activities without turbulence.The two leaders (President Lee Myung-bak and President Barack Obama) agreed to closely co-operate and monitor the situation together.

Liu Weimin, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman

We were distressed to learn of the unfortunate passing of the senior-most North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, and we express our grief about this and extend our condolences to the people of North Korea. Comrade Kim Jong-il was the great leader of the North Korean people and a close friend of the Chinese people. He made important contributions to the development of socialism in North Korea, and the development of friendly, neighbourly and co-operative relations between China and North Korea. We hope the two countries could carry on working together for peace in the Korean peninsula.

Yoshihiko Noda, Japanese Prime Minister

I have ordered officials to beef up intelligence-gathering on North Korea, to work closely with the United States, China and South Korea, and to prepare for further unexpected developments. We will gather information to assess how this incident will affect the situation. I have instructed (agencies) to prepare even for the unexpected to ensure this will not adversely influence peace and stability on the Korean peninsula.

Jay Carney, White House spokesman

We are closely monitoring reports that Kim Jong-il is dead. The President has been notified, and we are in close touch with our allies in South Korea and Japan.We remain committed to stability on the Korean peninsula, and to the freedom and security of our allies.

Sergey Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister

We have friendly relations with North Korea. We hope that this loss that the Korean people have suffered will not have a negative impact on the development of our relations.

William Hague, British Foreign Secretary

The people of North Korea are in official mourning after the death of Kim Jong-il. We understand this is a difficult time for them.

This could be a turning point for North Korea. We hope that their new leadership will recognise that engagement with the international community offers the best prospect of improving the lives of ordinary North Korean people.

We encourage North Korea to work for peace and security in the region and take the steps necessary to allow the resumption of the Six Party Talks on de-nuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.

For more information: BBC News

Tears of the North Korean People

The people are grief stricken by the passing of the father.
He was the only one who loved them, who provided for them, who fed them...
He loved them into submission, he provided an abundance of suffering, and he fed them with a generous portion of propaganda.
Perhaps now they will finally know the truth.



For more information: Chosun Ilbo

A New Era for North Korea?

Korean Central News Agency of DPRK reported:

"Kim Jong Il Passes Away (Urgent)
Pyongyang, December 19 (KCNA) -- Kim Jong Il, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, chairman of the DPRK National Defence Commission and supreme commander of the Korean People's Army, passed away from a great mental and physical strain at 08:30 December 17, 2011, on train during a field guidance tour."