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When a North Korean manages to cross the country's border, it doesn't mean they're safe. Even after a dangerous journey across the border, being caught by any authority could still mean deportation back to North Korea.
And deportation means interrogation, imprisonment, hard labor, starvation, and—often—death. But North Koreans, driven by hunger and desperation, still decide to make the perilous journey.
"My purpose in life is to save souls."
Evangelist Cho
That's why, each week, Evangelist Cho* hiked through the mountain forests.
His mission? To find and help North Koreans who fled … and, eventually, share the gospel. "My purpose in life is to save souls," he says simply.
North Koreans who escape from their country are not regarded as refugees fleeing a brutal dictatorship. Officially, these asylum-seekers are viewed as "economic migrants" who have broken the law. In the last several years, China alone has sent back thousands of refugees to face brutal interrogations—about why they left, who they met in China, and if they met any Christians or saw a Bible.
For Christians like Evangelist Cho, following the calling to help North Koreans also comes with a risk. If Chinese citizens are caught helping a North Korean escapee, they can face fines or even arrest.
But that didn't stop Cho.
Cheol-Ho* and Eun-Yeong*—a young couple who fled across the border—are just two lives that Cho transformed.
The day he met them, Cho was trudging up the mountain path he had walked so many times, and he saw something in the distance: a person, hiding in the underbrush. It was Eun-Yeong, and she looked terrified. As Cho drew closer, he saw another figure behind a tree—Cheol-Ho.
But despite Cho's offer to help them, they did not trust him. Then, Cho offered them a bag of food and water, and quickly, the young couple approached.
"There's also a tarp and some blankets in the bag," Cho told them. "Use them to set up some shelter. I'll come back again to bring you more food. It will be much safer for all of us if I come after dark so no one is watching. Stay in the shelter until then and make sure you are not found."
The young couple nodded—their distrust had evaporated.
When Cho returned, the couple talked with him.
"Well … you carry food around the mountains, and you say you do this each week," Eun-Yeong said. "There must be some reason behind this. Why do you do this?"
Cho had an easy answer. "If you want to know why I do it," he said, "it's because of a man named Jesus. He's the Son of God, and He loves you very much. In fact, I brought you a book that's all about Him." Cho reached into his bag and pulled out a Bible, handing it to Eun-Yeong.
Immediately, the young woman shook her head. "I don't believe in God," she said flatly. "We don't want anything to do with superstition." She pushed the Bible back toward Cho.
Cho shook his head. "This book is yours to keep," he said. "Read it or don't read it—it's up to you."
One night, Cho arrived at the makeshift tent and found the couple waiting for him. As soon as Eun-Yeong saw his headlamp, she rushed toward him.
"I have something I need to tell you," she said.
Cho sat down, unsure of what the young woman was talking about.
"I've been reading the book you gave us," she began. "Yesterday, when I was asleep, I had a dream… There was a person in my dream… He called me by my name, and I think it was this 'Jesus' the book talks about."
Eun-Yeong continued, "I know I want to find out more about Him. What can you tell me?"
Cho began explaining how Jesus lived and died and rose again to save humankind. The couple looked eager to learn more and asked question after question.
Taking a chance on the couple, Cho offered to bring Eun-Yeong and Cheol-Ho to a safe house supported by Open Doors. There, North Koreans are given food and basic necessities. But they're also invited to learn more about Jesus through Bible study and biblical teaching from Open Doors' local teams who run the houses.
And it was there that Eun-Yeong and Cheol-Ho gave their lives to Jesus.
Eventually, Eun-Yeong and Cheol-Ho felt a call to return to North Korea—to share their newfound faith with people desperately in need of the gospel—despite the risk of imprisonment or execution.
A year after he first met Eun-Yeong and Cheol-Ho, Cho received a coded message sent from North Korea: "Our family has grown to five." The young couple had been faithful to their calling, and now three more North Koreans had heard the good news of Jesus.
Soon after that, Christians from Eun-Yeong and Cheol-Ho's ministry made the dangerous trip across the border to learn more about their faith from Cho and the Open Doors-supported safe house.
After years of faithful work, Cho grew sick and couldn't go into the missions field like he once had, but he donated a tithe he'd gathered over years to ensure his ministry could continue. And many other Open Doors local workers like him continue the work with North Koreans.
Open Doors estimates there are more than 400,000 secret Christians in North Korea, risking their lives to follow Jesus. We don't know how many of these Christians first heard the gospel from someone like Cho or were trained in an Open Doors–supported safe house. But we know that because of God's work through these efforts, small churches are meeting in North Korea right now, praying in whispers, asking God to do the impossible once again.
Open Doors works through local workers like Evangelist Cho and through safehouses to provide critical aid and biblical training to North Koreans who manage to cross the border. Many of these people become Christians. Some decide to return and start churches. Your gift today makes work like this possible and grows the church in a place where faith should be impossible—but, because of God, is happening.
*Names changed to protect security. This is a true story, based on quotes and testimony from Evangelist Cho. Some sections have been dramatized and some details combined/obscured, but this article is based on facts and accounts from Cho and North Korean believers.
