One New Christian Believer in North Korea Every Hour?

People often ask how many many Christians are in North Korea, and though it is impossible to say, I have seen and met with many inside, disproving the notion that there are none.  There is no way to measure the number of North Koreans from merely meeting a few, however, it is possible to say the number of North Korean Christians is more than zero.

In fact, from publicly available data, not only are there Christians in North Korea, but they are growing in number.  

In 2024, Forbes reported that there are between 200,000 and 400,000 Christians in North Korea, and as many as 70,000 Christians in prison for their faith.  Compare that to a 2007 report by Newsweek, entitled “Prayer in Pyongyang” which estimated the number of Christians in North Korea to “range from the low tens of thousands to 100,000.” 

If those two reports from 2007 and 2024 are true, that would mean that the Christian population in North Korea today has increased from 100k-400k or from 200%-400% in the last 17 years.  That is roughly one new Christian believer in North Korea every single hour!  Regardless of the exact number, it seems that the data confirms that there is indeed growth in North Korea. 

What techniques are they currently using to see such growth in almost impossible situations?  Not all of the methods that they are currently using are known, but the following testimonies reveal a few we have witnessed.  

One North Korean believer revealed to us that the Word helped them grow and that is why believers in North Korea are known to rip up their Bibles into small sections and hide each of them in different secret locations. If the police find any one of these torn-out portions, the others are still safely scattered around the area.

Prayer is also extremely important for the church in North Korea.  When a Christian wants to have a focused time of prayer, they sometimes go out to a deserted place in the wilderness, where there is no possibility of anyone seeing them, or they must bury themselves under their blankets at home so no one can hear their supplications.

As strange as it may sound, there are even some reports of church services taking place by mobile phone! Mobile phones are smuggled into the country by North Koreans who go to China to look for food and supplies, but return as born-again Christians.  The North Koreans will have a group of four or five people in a room close to the border where they can get reception. Sermons are delivered in less than ten minutes and are followed by prayer for the sick and even an altar call for those who might not yet believe! 

The North Korean government is now known to use GPS trackers to find these phones, but if the message is short enough, the conversation can be stopped before the church is discovered. 

In the next week, we will share exclusive testimonies directly from the field in North Korea to reveal what the church has experienced and why they are continuing to grow in the midst of extreme persecution.