All articles in category North Korea
September 1998
North Korea
MISSIONARY SPOTLIGHT
North Korea (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) History of the church in North and South Korea The first known Protestant martyr in Korea was the Welsh missionary, Robert Thomas, who was killed in 1866 while preaching and distributing Scriptures in the north of the country. Protestantism first took root in 1882, when Suh Sang-yun, a Korean convert of Scottish missionaries in Chinese Manchuria, brought Korean Scripture portions into forbidden Korea. He secretly gathered together the country’s first group of worshipping Protestants. Over the next few years American Presbyterian and Methodist missionaries arrived. One important factor in the establishment and growth of the new Protestant...
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September 1998
North Korea
MISSIONARY SPOTLIGHT
North Korea Area : 46,500 square miles. China forms the northern boundary, and South Korea the southern. Environment : Rugged mountains with narrow valleys, and a western coastal plain. The mountains are covered with coniferous and deciduous forests. The climate tends to be harsh, with long and severe winters. The coastal plain, with its five alluvial rivers, is suitable for cultivation. Population : 25.5 million (99% Korean); 2.4 million in Pyongyang (capital). Life expectancy : Men 71 years, women 74 years. Literacy : 91%. Economy : State-controlled industries and collective farming. There are major reserves of minerals, including coal (the main energy source), iron...
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September 1998
North Korea
MISSIONARY SPOTLIGHT
North Korea The church in North Korea today The present state of the church in North Korea is not easily gauged. There were about 400,000 professing Christians in the North in 1945, with many living in the capital, Pyongyang. By the end of the Korean War there were 100,000. Many emigrated to the South as a result of the fierce communist persecution. The Korean Christian Federation (KCF) is the only Protestant church organization currently functioning in the North, with up to 12,000 members. However, it is widely believed that there are quite a number of family-based house churches meeting secretly, and attended largely by...
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