Praying to God under the Kims' portrait



Analysis Praying to God under the Kims’ portrait What drives Korean evangelical groups' effort to operate conversions within North Korea and among defectors? Gianluca Spezza June 6, 2014 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON north_korea_propaganda_balloons - Rene Walter - CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 Considering the life sentence given to South Korean missionary Kim Jeong-wook, what motivates an increasing number of people to risk delivering a message of spirituality to North Korea? In recent times, the cases of Robert Park, Kenneth Bae and John Short have made headlines, bringing to the fore the complicated relation between religion (mainly Christianity) and North Korea. The beliefs behind their actions may appear irrational to some, yet they show that much of the Christian community cares deeply about the spiritual life of North Koreans. Where does this interest stem from? And how pervasive is it? Are © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. Get the Daily Update & Podcast Updates Start your day with the North Korea stories that matter most – as selected by Trending

Analysis

Praying to God under the Kims’ portrait

What drives Korean evangelical groups' effort to operate conversions within North Korea and among defectors?

Gianluca Spezza June 6, 2014

north_korea_propaganda_balloons - Rene Walter - CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Considering the life sentence given to South Korean missionary Kim Jeong-wook, what motivates an increasing number of people to risk delivering a message of spirituality to North Korea?

In recent times, the cases of Robert Park, Kenneth Bae and John Short have made headlines, bringing to the fore the complicated relation between religion (mainly Christianity) and North Korea. The beliefs behind their actions may appear irrational to some, yet they show that much of the Christian community cares deeply about the spiritual life of North Koreans.

Where does this interest stem from? And how pervasive is it? Are

About the Author

Gianluca Spezza

Gianluca Spezza earned his PhD in 2017 from the University of Central Lancashire under the supervision of Professor Hazel Smith, on the strength of research on the cooperation between UNICEF and the DPRK in education and childcare. Dr Spezza is an assistant professor of international relations and a senior researcher at the DPRK Strategy Center at KIMEP University in Almaty, Kazakhstan; he is writing a monograph on education, international cooperation, and human capital in North Korea (Palgrave 2021). His work on the DPRK, articles or interviews, can be found, among others, on the websites of the BBC, The Guardian, The Diplomat, IRIN News, NK News, DR.dk, Newsweek Korea, and El Confidential.

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