OPEN DOORS USA

Jerry Dykstra, Media Relations Director

Phone: 616-915-4117

For Immediate Release

‘Escape From North Korea’

Compelling Book of One Family’s Fight for Freedom

SANTA ANA, CA (July 10, 2006) – A compelling, true glimpse into the “Hermit Kingdom” of North Korea – the world’s most repressive society and the No. 1 persecutor of Christians.

That’s what the book Escape From North Korea: A Desperate Quest for Food, Love and Life (Bethany House Publishers), written by Paul Estabrooks, chronicles through the lives of Pil Soo Kim and his family as they attempt to escape the brutal North Korean regime.

The unbelievable experiences of the Kim family will help you understand why so many of North Korea’s 20 million people – including many Christians – are engaged in a desperate quest for food, love and life. And you will meet brave believers in China who risk everything to help North Korean refugees find the answers to their quest for freedom.

The book is especially timely in wake of the worldwide crisis generated by North Korea test firing several missiles into the Sea of Japan this week.

Estabrooks writes: “Pil Soo Kim stood half-naked in the ice-cold Tumen River. Only thirty meters separated him from China. He was shivering, but he had to go on. His family was starving. There, on the other side of the freezing water, he could at least get some food.

“Many questions plagued him. ‘Are the border police watching me at this moment through their binoculars? What if I’m caught? Then they will kill me. What will happen to Myung Hee and the children? They’ll be locked up for two or three years, maybe even seven. And what if they are unlucky? The firing squad!

“At the same time, Pil Soo felt guilty. ‘I am betraying my country. This is not allowed.’ Danger was always present in crossing the border illegally. But there was no other way. This was his last resort.”

Johan Companjen, President of Open Doors International, says: “For many years now we have heard about the very difficult situation of the Church in North Korea. It is so difficult to get in touch with them. That’s why I am so thankful to the Lord and Paul Estabrooks for this very special book. My prayer is that it will encourage you ‘to remember them in your prayers’ (Hebrews 13:3).”

Ron Boyd-MacMillan, author of Faith That Endures: The Essential Guide to the Persecuted Church Today (Revell), adds: “A heart-warming, heart-stopping, heart-rending glimpse into the world's most repressive society and the world's most persecuted Christian community. After reading this story, you will wake up every morning and thank God you do not live in North Korea, then drop to your knees and pray for those who do.”

Estabrooks is Minister-at-Large for Open Doors International, a non-profit Christian ministry – founded by Brother Andrew in 1955 – which supports and strengthens persecuted Christians in the most dangerous countries in the world. As a representative of Open Doors, he has visited Christians in restricted countries as diverse as Cuba, Tibet, China, Mongolia, the former Soviet Union and the Middle East. He has shared his experiences of meeting persecuted Christians with numerous audiences around the world.

He is the author of Secrets of Spiritual Success, a book documenting life lessons we can learn from those who have experienced suffering. He has also written a series of booklets and compiled a major training manual used around the world entitled Standing Strong Through the Storm for Christians experiencing or preparing for persecution.

To pre-purchase Escape From North Korea, go to the Open Doors USA Web site at www.opendoorsusa.org and visit our online store. Cost is $10. The book is available exclusively through Open Doors. There is another book of the same title which has been recently published, but its focus on North Korea is on another subject.

(To set up an interview with author Paul Estabrooks, contact Jerry Dykstra, Open Doors USA Media Relations Director, at 616-915-4117 or e-mail JerryD@odusa.org.)