Group Launches Campaign Advocating for Persecuted North Korean Church
by Jim Brown and Jenni Parker
December 16, 2003
(AgapePress) - A new Christmas campaign in the U.S. attempts to raise awareness of Christian persecution and human rights violations in North Korea.The Institute on Religion and Democracy has launched its Liberty Initiative for North Korea (LINK). Project director Faith McDonnell says up until now, little has been known about the horrendous persecution Christians face in the Communist country.
LINK was started to address that situation, McDonnell says, "to inform people about what has been happening in North Korea, to get them to pray for North Korea, to advocate for changes in U.S. policies on North Korea, and just to help people to know what is happening to their brothers and sisters."
As part of the initiative, the IRD is distributing Christmas buttons that say "Merry Christmas" in Korean. McDonnell says the buttons are meant to serve as a reminder of those believers who cannot openly celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.
While many Americans have stopped saying "Merry Christmas" and just say "Happy holidays," LINK's director wants people in the U.S. to realize that the religious freedom many of them take for granted is nonexistent in some parts of the world.
"Our brothers and sisters in North Korea and in many other places aren't allowed to celebrate Christmas. They're not allowed to celebrate openly the birth of their Savior," McDonnell says, "and if they're caught, as Christians, they're put in prison camps and treated just unmercifully. Some are even killed."
McDonnell is encouraging Christians in the U.S. to order the buttons for themselves, their churches, or other groups and to wear them throughout the Christmas and Advent season. By so doing, she says, they will be helping to raise awareness about the plight of persecuted North Korean Christians and saying "Merry Christmas" for those who cannot.
Beginning early in 2004, LINK is planning to enter the next phase of the effort by equipping church members for grassroots advocacy on North Korea. LINK will provide information about public policy initiatives to support freedom for all Koreans, to promote human rights and democracy in North Korea, and especially to support persecuted Christians and other North Korean refugees.
