Faithwire
  • Watch
  • Go!
  • Podcasts
  • Newsletter
  • Contact Us
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • SCOTUS
  • Life
  • Religious Liberty
  • News
  • Politics
  • Faith
  • Opinion

North Korean Survivor Who Escaped Horrors Exposes What Brutal Regime Does to Those Who ‘Own a Bible,’ Worship Jesus

Photo: CBN News/Faithwire
Photo: CBN News/Faithwire
Share Tweet
By Billy Hallowell
Editor

April 4, 2023

North Korean defector-turned-U.S. citizen Yeonmi Park recently explained what happens to people in her native country who are found with a Bible.

Listen to the latest episode of CBN’s Quick Start podcast 👇

Park said there was virtually no concept of God when she was living in North Korea, with punishment befalling anyone openly entertaining or worshipping the Lord.

“When the communist comes …they first [kill the concept of] God because they become ‘God’ themselves,” she said. “So … if you own a Bible, you and your entire family get punished.”

Reading Scripture and holding Christian meetings can tragically lead to the same dire impact if discovered by officials.

Park, who is out with a new book, “While Time Remains: A North Korean Defector’s Search for Freedom in America,” shared her own story of escaping North Korea and facing horrific conditions in China before being rescued by Christian missionaries.

As for her personal faith voyage, she explained how the birth of her son transformed her perspective. She spent years tired of having beliefs forced upon her, but her pregnancy left her thinking deeper.

“I came to America and I had my son,” she said. “I think that’s when I realized, I cannot have done that. That was just [a] pure miracle how he [had] come out of me … a wonderful human being.”

The wonder of childbirth, mixed with her own story of making it out of North Korea and into America — an extremely rare feat — got her thinking even deeper. Listen to Park explain:

“What are the chances of me being here and making it this far?” Park asked rhetorically. “I think there has been always a greater … source, something in me or in the universe from me here that I cannot totally understand.”

She said she is now a Christian and prays to “understand the world better.”

Park is hoping her new book sparks deeper conversations about current affairs among Americans.

“Any country can become like North Korea,” she said, noting the battle between nations like North Korea and America is real. “It’s a war between tyranny and freedom. … This country is under attack in so many different ways, and [it’s] time [to] stand up to defend those values that made America great.”

Watch the full discussion with Park.

***As the number of voices facing big-tech censorship continues to grow, please sign up for Faithwire’s daily newsletter and download the CBN News app, developed by our parent company, to stay up-to-date with the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.***

Latest

  • Faith

    Should Public School Teachers Lead Prayer in Jesus’ Name? Americans Make Their Stance Clear

  • Faith

    ‘God’s Definitely Real’: Cross Necklace Saves Man’s Life After He Was Shot in the Chest

  • Faith

    ‘Dangerous Ideology’: Christian Summer Camp Takes Gender Stand, Scores Major Victory

  • culture

    BBC Reporter Earns Viral Praise For Abruptly Pausing On-Air to Correct Term ‘Pregnant People’

  • News

    Pastor’s Wife Deported: Family Speaks Out, Pleads for Mercy as Homeland Security Issues Statement


Sponsored
Sponsored

Newsletter
Signup

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Recent Posts

  • Should Public School Teachers Lead Prayer in Jesus’ Name? Americans Make Their Stance Clear
  • ‘God’s Definitely Real’: Cross Necklace Saves Man’s Life After He Was Shot in the Chest
  • ‘Dangerous Ideology’: Christian Summer Camp Takes Gender Stand, Scores Major Victory
  • BBC Reporter Earns Viral Praise For Abruptly Pausing On-Air to Correct Term ‘Pregnant People’
  • Pastor’s Wife Deported: Family Speaks Out, Pleads for Mercy as Homeland Security Issues Statement

Archives

  • June 2025
  • May 2025
  • April 2025
  • March 2025
  • February 2025
  • January 2025
  • December 2024
  • November 2024
  • October 2024
  • September 2024
  • August 2024
  • July 2024
  • June 2024
  • May 2024
  • April 2024
  • March 2024
  • February 2024
  • January 2024
  • December 2023
  • November 2023
  • October 2023
  • September 2023
  • August 2023
  • July 2023
  • June 2023
  • May 2023
  • April 2023
  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016

Categories

  • Christian Persecution
  • Coronavirus
  • culture
  • Culture
  • Entertainment
  • Faith
  • Faith
  • Family
  • George Floyd
  • Go!
  • Israel
  • Life
  • Life
  • Lifestyle
  • Media
  • Men
  • Mission Haiti
  • News
  • News
  • Opinion
  • P.O.V
  • Politics
  • Politics
  • Roe
  • Sponsored
  • Sports
  • Virtue
  • Women

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Navigation

  • Watch
  • Go!
  • Podcasts
  • Newsletter
  • Contact Us
  • Staff
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram

Subscribe to the Newsletter

Sign up to get our newsletter your inbox every day.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Newsletter Signup

Do you want to read
more articles like this?

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.