In the shadow of a world preoccupied with climate hysteria and woke distractions, the real war against faith rages on—and North Korea remains a frontline of brutal oppression. Communist regimes like Kim Jong Un’s regime don’t merely silence political dissidents; they wage an unyielding battle against the very soul of humanity, persecuting Christians relentlessly.
This reality was brought starkly back into focus last week when six brave Americans were detained near the North Korean border for attempting to send over 1,000 miniature Bibles, food, and USB sticks filled with information into the Hermit Kingdom. These courageous individuals risked their freedom to spread God’s Word, a testament to the indomitable spirit of Christianity in the face of tyranny.
Yet, disturbingly, the South Korean authorities initially detained these Americans, citing a violation of so-called “risk zones” near the border. Such laws, ostensibly designed for safety, have long been criticized as a way to appease the North Korean dictatorship, effectively silencing efforts to spread truth and freedom in one of the most oppressed corners of the globe.
For Christians in North Korea, the stakes couldn’t be higher. According to the 2020 World Christian Database, less than one percent of North Koreans are Christians, while over half the population is agnostic. This small minority faces unimaginable horrors—imprisonment, forced labor, torture, and execution—simply for believing in a power higher than Kim Jong Un.
Six Americans were initially detained on Friday in South Korea for trying to throw more than a thousand plastic bottles filled with food, religious texts, money, and USB sticks into the sea to be carried to North Korea, the Associated Press reported.
Yet despite these harrowing realities, these Americans chose to act. Their message was clear: faith will not bow to communist oppression. It is precisely why communist states have historically feared Christianity. Marx and Lenin understood religion’s power to inspire individual liberty and moral clarity—ideas incompatible with communist domination. As Ronald Reagan famously declared, “Freedom prospers when religion is vibrant, and the rule of law under God is acknowledged.” This is exactly why communist regimes must suppress Christianity—they fear the freedom that comes with faith.
North Korea is not alone. Communist regimes from China to Cuba to Vietnam have always seen Christianity as a threat. In China, churches are bulldozed, pastors jailed, and believers forced underground. Cuba continues to harass and imprison pastors who refuse to parrot communist propaganda from the pulpit. Vietnam routinely imprisons Christians who refuse to renounce their faith.
Yet, where oppression exists, faith endures. The courage of these six Americans should serve as a clarion call to believers worldwide. The actions of the South Korean government, though seemingly small, represent a dangerous trend of appeasing communist dictatorships at the expense of religious liberty. Leaders of free nations must stand unequivocally for religious freedom, not bow to tyrants who persecute citizens for their faith.
Thankfully, the South Korean Constitutional Court earlier this year struck down legislation criminalizing sending propaganda leaflets into North Korea, rightly recognizing it as an infringement on free speech. Still, the June suspension of anti-North Korea broadcasts and balloon shipments by President Lee Jae Myung is deeply troubling. Appeasement has never worked against communist regimes; it only emboldens their oppressive tactics.
Christians everywhere must stand united against this global persecution. It’s not enough to whisper prayers in the safety of our churches; we must boldly advocate for religious liberty on the global stage. The bravery of these Americans reminds us that true faith demands more than passive observance—it demands courageous action.
In the words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German pastor who boldly resisted Nazi tyranny: “Silence in the face of evil is itself evil…Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.” The fight for religious freedom in communist nations is our fight. Let us never shrink from defending the fundamental right to worship freely, for it is a right given not by governments, but by God Himself.
