What ministry with North Korean women looks like

When North Korean women are trafficked into China, they’re deeply vulnerable. That’s why Open Doors works with them and shares the gospel—and equips them for ministry. Here, a believer takes us inside a women’s ministry gathering in China where trafficked North Korean women come together for Bible study and worship.

“Don’t talk in the car,” Open Doors’ field worker Soo-Ah* cautioned Ha-Joon* while signaling a taxi. “Your accent will betray you. The driver will know you are not local.”

Ha-Joon remained quiet throughout the journey to their destination. Had she spoken, the work of the field worker would have been in immediate danger. The secret police have eyes and ears everywhere. People talk.

Truth be told, Ha-Joon had been quite nervous about the mission trip to China. At first, the uneasy feelings weren’t so bad. But her first night in the mission area, she woke up from a nightmare. She prayed, and the anxiety wore off.

Soo-Ah told the driver to stop the car. The meeting place was still at some distance, but she couldn’t let the taxi driver know where they were really going. Ha-Joon and Soo-Ah had to walk the last part. They arrived earlier than the women, who have all been sold into marriage to Chinese husbands.

China’s one-child-policy has created an incredibly imbalanced society. Many girls were abandoned by their parents, resulting in a shortage of women and a surplus of men. Chinese women who want to marry usually choose men with a bright or at least stable future ahead of them. Poor men with little education, who work as farmers or laborers in the countryside, have the fewest possibilities of finding a spouse.

Many men save up money and buy a North Korean wife from human traffickers. The North Korean women are driven across the Chinese border, hoping to escape the horrible conditions in North Korea, but are lied to by traffickers—and then are at the mercy of these smugglers once they cross the border.

Some North Korean women who are trafficked in this way live a relatively good life, where they have food and some money—things they lack in North Korea. Others end up in an abusive situation. Most of them are traumatized by the harsh living conditions in North Korea, which forced them to flee, as well as the treatment by the human traffickers and their Chinese “families.”

In China, they are triply persecuted: They are illegal immigrants to the Chinese government and targeted by human traffickers for their gender. If they are arrested and sent back to North Korea, they will be interrogated and tortured. They’ll be asked: “Have you slept with Chinese men? Did you have a child? Have you participated in Bible study? Did you meet Christians? Have you gone to church?” These are standard questions everyone gets. If you’re exposed as a Christian, you are punished even more severely.

Open Doors tries to help these women with practical aid, pastoral care, fellowship and Bible study. The hope is that some of these women will be discipled and, at some point, want to return to their homeland, becoming future female leaders of the North Korean church.

‘We came for the food’

Ha-Joon already knew some of the women she was about to meet. Not in person, but on paper. She had read the prayer points the field worker had shared:Person X has a sick son. Person Y is growing in faith. Person Z needs a little more training before she can lead groups.

Though she had prayed for these women many times, the ladies had never seen her. They didn’t even know she was coming.

“At first, they were very surprised”, Ha-Joon shares. “Soo-Ah said that I belonged to her church back home, and that I’m a faithful prayer warrior. Some opened up very quickly, but others were still reserved. They didn’t trust me in the beginning. I wasn’t expected.”

What touched Ha-Joon the most was how much these people were like her. “They have lived under very different circumstances, but we spoke the same language,” she says “We looked similar. The women weren’t aliens. I felt like we all belonged to the same family, especially since we worshiped the same God.”

Ha-Joon tried to be as helpful as possible by preparing the food and drinks, together with most of the North Korean women. “Some of the older women allowed us—the young ones—to serve them,” she says. “I didn’t mind, but I sensed some of the girls weren’t thrilled that they had to do all the work. However, they didn’t say anything.”

Ha-Joon noticed the women ate fast and they ate a lot. “We came here for the food,” one joked. “We have to eat!”

Another shared that she had lost her sister. Like her, the sister had escaped North Korea. But nobody had heard from her ever since. Was she arrested? Trafficked? Killed? Nobody knew. It’s the kind of uncertainty all North Korean escapees must live with. Everybody has lost someone. A parent. A sibling. A friend. A child.

A face at the window

Ha-Joon and the women spent most of the day singing the Lord’s praises, sharing about their lives, praying and reading the Bible. “We worshiped together, which was really special,” Ha-Joon says. “Soo-Ah also did a quiz with the women to see how much they remembered from the previous Bible study. Two women were both very good at giving the answers, and I believe they competed against each other for the compliments of the teacher.”

One of the day’s highlights was singing and dancing with the group. “That brought a lot of happiness to the group,” Ha-Joon says. “They laughed a lot while imitating Soo-Ah’s movements.”

Ha-Joon was also impressed with the women’s memorization skills. “There was one woman who could recite 50 verses without hesitation!” she remembers.

At one point, the women suddenly fell quiet and everyone looked at the window. “We saw a woman’s face, looking in,” Ha Joon says.

Who was she? Would she report anything to the police? The Chinese authorities are highly sensitive to any gatherings not pre-approved or reported in advance. The fact the women were North Koreans involved in Bible study didn’t help.

“We all stopped breathing for a moment,” Ha-Joon says. “The owner of the place immediately went outside to talk to the woman. I don’t know what she said to her, but after she came back, she said everything was alright, and we could continue with our program. Had we really been in danger? You never know. But it showed just how different the circumstances are. In my city, we can have as many meetings as we like, and nobody will report us to the police. Here, that is very different.”

‘Thank you for your love’

Ha-Joon was able to visit the women on behalf of the many Open Doors supporters worldwide. “When our founder, Brother Andrew, traveled to the persecuted church around the world, his main purpose was simply to be there,” she says. “He called this ‘presence ministry.’ I’m very grateful that I could do presence ministry to this isolated group of Christians. This was only possible thanks to the prayers and generous support of our donors. On behalf of the North Korean women and our local field workers, we thank you for your love, care and support.”

* All names in this story have been changed for security reasons

please pray

How you can pray:

Pray for the field workers, like Soo-Ah, who risk their lives to support and care for North Korean women. Ask for their protection and wisdom as they carry out their ministry.
Pray that more people will recognize the plight of trafficked North Korean women and advocate for their protection and rights.
Pray that the North Korean women will continue to build trust within their community and with those who come to help them, fostering a sense of belonging and support.
Pray for the women’s deeper spiritual growth and maturity. Pray that they will seek the Lord wholeheartedly and grow in wisdom and understanding. May they walk in obedience to Him and trust in His guidance each day.

give today

Will you consider giving regularly to the persecuted church?

Open Doors aims to “strengthen what remains and is about to die” (Rev 3:2). Your Monthly Donation can help us provide continuous support to the persecuted church worldwide and enable us to respond immediately to emergency situations.

SEE GIVING OPTIONS

What ministry with North Korean women looks like

‘We came for the food’

A face at the window

‘Thank you for your love’

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