Tuesday, April 28
Anniversary of North Korea Freedom Day and Day of Prayer and Fasting for North Korea’s Freedom
- Esther Prayer Vigil
- Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission Congressional Hearing
- Meeting with Ambassador Julie Turner and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State David Wilezol
- Online Prayer Service for Day of Prayer and Fasting
Esther Prayer Vigil
The prayer vigil was led by Pastor Star Lee, and the delegation prayed for God’s intervention on behalf of the Korean people to bring freedom to the people of North Korea. In particular, Suzanne emphasized the significance of April 28, which commemorates the first North Korea Freedom Day. She noted that, for several years, the date has been observed as a day of fasting and prayer for North Korea’s freedom, with people around the world joining together in prayer and fasting. Each delegate had an opportunity to share thoughts and prayers regarding North Korea’s freedom with those attending the vigil. “I believe that the fervent prayers of the vigil attendees will reach God on behalf of the North Korean people, and that the day will surely come when 23 million North Koreans will be set free,” said Sang-Hak Park. In addition, the chair of the delegation, Ji-Young Kim, expressed hope that if prayers from the United States, South Korea, and within North Korea unite, God will one day answer those prayers and allow people to worship Him freely in North Korea.
Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission Congressional Hearing
North Korean Human Rights Movement: Current Prospects and Obstacles
Thank you to Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA) for hosting a Congressional hearing on the issue of North Korean human rights movement. Congressman Chris Smith emphasized that North Korea remains one of the world’s most repressive regimes, maintaining control through surveillance, censorship, and forced labor while aggressively blocking outside information. He argued that information—not military power—is the strongest force for change in North Korea, highlighting the testimonies of defectors who described how access to outside news and ideas transformed their understanding of freedom and human rights. He also expressed concern over recent actions by the South Korean government that could restrict North Korean human rights activism and the flow of information into North Korea, warning that suppressing truth and freedom undermines efforts to advance human rights and peace on the Korean Peninsula.
Dr. Tara O, one of the two witnesses, testified that South Korea has historically served as a protector for North Korean defectors and a model of liberal democracy and free-market success, but warned that freedoms in South Korea are increasingly under pressure. Dr. O expressed concern about efforts to weaken constitutional protections for freedom, suppress freedom of expression and religion, and expand state influence in ways she argued could move the country away from its democratic foundations. Dr. O also criticized what she described as growing censorship of political speech, unequal enforcement of laws, restrictions on religious activities, and attempts to introduce legislation affecting churches and civil liberties. “Some forces inside South Korea are now trying to weaken freedom in the South Korean Constitution and insert socialist agendas, which could risk turning South Korea into a satellite state of the Chinese Communist Party,” said Dr. O.
Suzanne Scholte testified on the current hardship of the North Korean human rights movement by directly citing the testimonies of Kang-Il Hu, Ji-Young Kim, Sang-Hak Park, Gwang-Min Bae, and Jeong-Hun Choi. In her opening statement, Suzanne warned that the North Korean human rights movement is facing its most difficult period in decades. She argued that policymakers have failed to heed the warnings of North Korean defectors, including Jang-Yop Hwang, who stressed that human rights and access to outside information are the key vulnerabilities of the Kim regime. Suzanne Scholte also sharply criticized the South Korean government under the current President Lee, accusing him of restricting freedom of expression, ending support for broadcasts and defector organizations, and enforcing measures that limit the flow of outside information into North Korea. She stressed that these actions undermine both South Korea’s constitutional principles and international human rights obligations.Kang-Il Hu’s testimony mainly focused on the progress and setback of the activities of the North Korean defectors in South Korea since the Committee for the Democratization of North Korea was established by Jang-Yop Hwang. In his testimony, Kang-Il Hu argued, “The Lee administration is prioritizing de-escalation and peaceful coexistence over the freedom and human rights of the North Korean people. But, true peace of the Korean Peninsula cannot be achieved while turning away from the freedom and human rights of the North Korea people.” Kang-Il Hu further expressed his deep concern that punishment against those who seek to send outside information to North Korea has intensified in South Korea and that the Ministry of Unification is even changing the term used to describe North Korean defectors to weaken its meaning and identity.
Ji-Young Kim’s testimony stressed the importance of sharing outside information with the people of North Korea and her criticism against the current South Korean government’s North Korea policy. In her testimony, Ji-Young Kim argued, “We know what the North Korean regime fears most. It is not guns. It is not sanctions. It is outside information. More than anything else, the regime fears the truth of the outside world reaching its people. That is why it has created laws to block outside culture and information, and why it punishes young people especially harshly…For that reason, I view the recent suspension of radio broadcasting by the South Korean government as a very serious matter. There may be explanations offered—financial constraints, tension reduction, or a choice made in the name of peace. But, I consider this decision extremely dangerous. It is not merely a policy adjustment. It is the deliberate closing of one of the very few channels through which the people of North Korea can access the truth.”
Sang-Hak Park’s testimony explained the role of leaflets in advancing freedom and human rights in North Korea. “For many years, I have carried out leaflet operations that send information into North Korea using large balloons and other means. The purpose of these efforts is to expose the reality of the Kim family’s hereditary dictatorship, to tell North Koreans about the reality of South Korea, where freedom, human rights, democracy, and public welfare are alive, and to help North Koreans encounter the truth of the outside world and develop, on their own, a desire for freedom… In fact, the inflow of outside information has had a significant effect on changes in public awareness and on people’s decisions to defect,” stated by Sang-Hak Park in his testimony.
Gwang-Min Bae’s testimony focused on Operation Truth. In his testimony, Gwang-Min Bae shared, “Operation Truth is not simply an effort to send material goods. It is an effort to deliver truth, food, hope, and the Gospel to people isolated under the North Korean regime’s extreme blockade on information. Free North Korea Radio, the U.S.-based Defense Forum Foundation, and networks affiliated with the North Korea Freedom Coalition have publicly introduced these activities. The items delivered include rice, Bibles, USB drives, leaflets, radios, medicine, and at times even U.S. one-dollar bills. The means of delivery are not limited to one method.” However, Gwang-Min Bae argued that the current South Korean government has targeted Operation Truth activities by dispatching police officers to the sites where these launches took place and labeling these sites danger zone, giving promotions to police who caught those trying to carry out Operation Truth, and providing rewards to citizens who turn people in.
Jeong-Hun Choi’s testimony centered on the urgent situation facing two North Koreans who are now POWs in Ukraine. “North Korean troops were sent to the front under an extremely closed and coercive system, having been subjected to intense ideological control. Some reports estimate that the number of North Korean troops killed or wounded has exceeded 7,000…As a former North Korean soldier and as someone who has personally experienced the North Korean system, I must state clearly that these two young men must not be sent back to North Korea where punishment and retaliation await them,” said Jeong-Hun Choi in his testimony. He expressed hope that these North Korean POWs can be treated humanely, citing the Geneva Convention as their fate if returned to North Korea is certain torture and death, especially as they have both expressed the desire to resettle in South Korea.
In response, Congressman Smith stated that the U.S. government and Congress must more strongly address the decline of freedom and democracy in South Korea. He also said he would convey the witnesses’ testimonies to the White House and the U.S. State Department and urge follow-up action.
After the hearing, the delegation visited Congressman Smith’s office and continued discussions on the situation in North Korea. Congressman Smith even skipped King Charles’s speech to the U.S. Congress to spend time with the delegation, demonstrating his genuine commitment to North Korean human rights issues.
Official Press Release by Congressman Smith’s Office
https://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=415548
Media Coverage
https://www.christiantoday.co.kr/news/374813 (KOR)
https://www.fntoday.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=383470 (KOR)
https://www.christiantoday.co.kr/news/374846 (KOR)
https://www.koreatimes.com/article/20260501/1611654 (KOR)
https://www.chosun.com/english/world-en/2026/04/29/PMULGCXKEJGLLF5VA46KQRYSNA/ (ENG)
Meeting with Ambassador Julie Turner and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State David Wilezol
Thank you to Ambassador Turner and Deputy Assistant Secretary Wilezol for hosting a meeting for the delegation. Ambassador Turner welcomed the delegation and noted she has regularly met with NKFW delegations since the start of NKFW. Deputy Assistant Secretary Wilezol emphasized that the delegation’s lives, experiences, and courage in seeking freedom are very important for understanding the reality inside North Korea. He thanked the delegation, on behalf of the American people and the U.S. government, for coming to the meeting. He also praised their decision to seek freedom and asked them to remember that they have friends and allies within the U.S. government who want the North Korean people to enjoy the same freedom.
At the meeting, Ambassador Turner and Deputy Assistant Secretary Wilezol showed a keen interest in sharing outside information with the people of North Korea and what kinds of information are most helpful for North Koreans to understand the truth about the outside world. Il-Chul Yang answered, “Information simply criticizing the North Korean regime from the perspective of the South Korean government does not deeply move North Koreans. Since North Korea also constantly produces propaganda criticizing South Korea, mutual criticism alone is not enough to move the hearts of North Koreans. Personally, it is more important to provide information about the history of socialist countries such as China and Russia, and how socialist systems have caused suffering for their people. When I heard radio programs about the history of socialist countries, I came to understand that the socialist system itself is harmful to the people.” On the question of how North Koreans generally perceive the United States, Ji-Young Kim shared, “In North Korea, people are taught that the 50 stars on the American flag represent the 50 countries that the United States has invaded. North Korea teaches that the Korean War began because the United States invaded the Korean Peninsula to turn it into a colony, and that North Koreans must tighten their belts and possess nuclear weapons to prevent another American invasion.” Understanding the Kim regime’s lies, Ji-Young Kim emphasized the importance of outside information by referencing the recent survey conducted by Free North Korea Radio. “About 80 percent of North Korean defector respondents answered that the more the regime blocks outside information, the more curiosity and desire for that information grow. North Koreans now tend to believe that information the regime tries to block must be information they need to know,” said Ji-Young Kim.
When the delegation was asked about the status of the underground church in North Korea and how North Koreans maintain their faith under the brutal oppression of the Kim regime, Ji-Young Kim shared, “Religious activities are treated as such serious crimes that not only the individual but also three generations of the individual’s family can be exterminated. Although exact statistics are difficult to verify, underground believers who worship God still exist inside North Korea,” she explained. “In the past, the number of believers was estimated at around 2,000, but that figure may have increased, with some estimates now reaching approximately 20,000. However, it is impossible to determine the exact number because the moment someone in North Korea says, ‘I believe in God,’ that person must be prepared to die. Recently, some North Koreans have encountered faith through outside information or while traveling to China or other third countries. These individuals begin to think that if they pray to God or make requests of Him, their prayers may be answered. Through these experiences, they begin to develop an interest in religion.” The delegation emphasized that what the Kim regime fears most are the spread of Christianity and outside information. Therefore, the U.S. government must continue to send outside information, including the concept of freedom of religion, into North Korea.
In response, Ambassador Turner and Deputy Assistant Secretary Wilezol highlighted that the Trump administration retained commitment to sharing outside information with the people of North Korea, and that the North Korea issue has been prioritized within the U.S. Department of State.
Online Prayer Service for Day of Prayer and Fasting
Thank you to Pastor Star Lee of the Esther Prayer Movement, Robin Greenspan of PSALT, Alana Johnson of the Falls Church Anglican Prayer Team for the Persecuted, Suzanne Scholte, Dr. Thomas Belke, Ji-Young Kim of Free North Korea Radio, North Korean defector pastors Joo-Il Shim, Kyung-Hwa Seo, and Kyung-Bae Ju, Rabbi Abraham Cooper, Atabongwoung Gallaous, Brother Adalberto Santiago, Ambassador Morse Tan, and Nancy Purcell for giving prayers for North Korea’s freedom. Thank you to Jason West for providing an online platform for the prayer service.
Dr. Belke shared a special message on the importance of praying and fasting for North Korea’s freedom, highlighting that we should never cease to pray for the people of North Korea. While participants from the United States offered opening prayers and participants from around the world prayed for the freedom of North Korea and for South Korea, the central portion of the service was led by North Korean defector pastors. The three pastors prayed for God’s intervention for the freedom of the North Korean people and for the restoration of their God-given human rights. “That land has become a prison and a hell for the entire nation. North Korea is no longer merely a dictatorship. It is an idolatrous regime that stands against God. For the past eighty years, the idolatrous Kim family dictatorship, passed down through three generations, has carried out systematic and organized mass atrocities against its own people, who are Your people, Father. Father, no longer overlook this evil. Rise up in Your justice and pour out Your righteous wrath. Tear open that dark sky and let Your face shine upon that land,” prayed Pastor Kyung-Bae Ju.
