Written by: FEBA South Africa
Article source: JOY! Magazine
The World Watch List – an annual list of the top 50 countries worldwide where Christians experience the worst persecution for their faith – has placed North Korea in the top spot for the last 10 years in a row. For the last 65 years, FEBC Korea has been broadcasting through AM and shortwave radio into this persecuted nation.
Radio crosses boundaries
In North Korea, Christians are the most heavily persecuted and it’s the most difficult place to share the Gospel. Radio is not intimidated by that, instead radio waves propagate across mountains, through geographical barriers, and into countries where people say the Gospel is outlawed – but the radio waves don’t hear that, they know no boundaries and no walls.
Evangelising nations
Since HLKX – the first South Korean Radio Station – was established in 1956, a lot of focus has been placed to evangelise communist countries such as North Korea, China, Russia, and Mongolia – countries where missionaries were not allowed. FEBC Korea has grown into a major Christian radio network consisting of 13 FM and two AM and shortwave stations, three of which are located on the North Korean border and broadcasts directly to the isolated country. The AM and shortwave radio stations reach the whole of North Korea, resulting in masses coming to salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ.
The broadcasting programmes
The team responsible for the broadcasts consists of producers and volunteers, all of whom are North Korean defectors who share their testimonies in the hopes of inspiring others to give their lives to Christ. The broadcasting programmes have been extended from two hours per day to 24 hours per day, seven days a week, and are comprised of three parts: faith and maturity (69%), liberal and general topics (17%), and current affairs (14%).
Supplying tools
FEBC Korea not only produces and transmits northern regional broadcasting programmes, but it is also committed to helping North Korean people who do not have access to media exposure listen to the broadcasts by supplying them with radio receivers through a variety of routes, such as missionaries and the utilisation of balloons.
Why are the broadcasts not blocked?
It is extremely expensive and almost impossible to block AM and shortwave radio. We also don’t believe that North Korea is very concerned about our broadcasts because great caution is taken in the way that Gospel messages are phrased. We know that our broadcasts are reaching listeners because of the powerful testimonies we receive from Christians defecting from North to South Korea. It is also not illegal to own a radio devise in North Korea as radios are frequently used for propaganda campaigns in the country.
Leading families to Christ
FEBC Korea, our ministry partners, have been shipping radios into North Korea for decades, specifically AM radios. People are desperate to hear anything from the outside world and when they hear the Gospel it is incredibly powerful. Not only does the person who hears the message often become a Christian, but their entire families start believing too.
The emotion and passion
The CEO of FEBC in USA, Ed Cannon, had the privilege to spend time in refugee churches in South Korea. The North Korean people want to stay together – there are communities of North Korean refugees. There are sub-groups of South Korean churches where they have a congregation of North Korean refugees. Ed heard a North Korean choir singing at a South Korean church, and though he could not understand a word that they were singing, he had never seen such intense emotion on the faces of people. When asking what the emotion was about the interpreter said, “It was tears of joy for our freedom, and tears of sadness because of our families who are still suffering the torture of the North Korean government.”
A listener’s testimony
Here is a testimony of a woman who contacted our station after listening to our broadcasts:
“Back in 2014, I left my hometown in North Korea and crossed the river into China. During my journey across Asia, I was imprisoned. While I was there, God sent me a missionary named Esther. When I met Esther, she showed us the love of Jesus Christ and what it truly means to be a Christian. She prayed every day, for everyone in every cell. She tried to evangelise everyone she met. Words cannot describe the pain I felt. It was only through praising God and praying to Him that I could survive the darkest hours of my life. They fed me and my cell mate rotten corn powder with a few chunks of tofu. We were forced into hard labour, all day long, with no apparent cause and outcome. There were 50-60 people cramped in this small space. I met Christ in the toughest time of my life, but I was able to overcome those times with the Lord standing beside me. When I got out, I came to South Korea and I was diagnosed with heart failure. However, my poor health could not stop me from loving God. Over time in a care centre I was eventually able to get better. Jesus Christ is the only way and the truth. I believe this with my whole heart, and I will continue to pray for my fellow north Korean defectors.”
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Date published: 26/11/2022
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