Inside North Korea’s Brutal Persecution of Christians

Inside North Korea’s Brutal Persecution of Christians

July 9, 2026 · 31 min

What happens when an entire nation is taught that the government is god—and following Jesus can cost you everything?

North Korea is now one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a Christian. But more than 100 years ago, Pyongyang was known as the “Jerusalem of the East,” and North Korea was at the center of a massive Christian revival.

What happened?

In this powerful episode of The Deep End Podcast, Pastor Tim Hatch sits down with Dan Chung, co-founder and executive director of Crossing Borders, to uncover the brutal persecution of Christians in North Korea, the hidden underground church, and the reality facing North Korean refugees who escape the Kim regime.

Drawing from more than 20 years of serving North Koreans, Dan shares firsthand stories of government indoctrination, communist control, secret Christian faith, human trafficking in China, and refugees discovering that escaping North Korea is only the beginning of the journey toward freedom.

Dan also discusses his new book, 📘 A Hard Freedom—an eye-opening account of North Korean refugees, the cost of freedom, and the hope found in Jesus Christ.

👉 Get A Hard Freedom: https://a.co/d/0gEeG10I

In this conversation:

• Why Pyongyang was once called the “Jerusalem of the East”

• How communism devastated Christianity in North Korea

• The brutal persecution of Christians under the Kim regime

• Stories of the underground church and secret believers

• How North Korean children are indoctrinated against Christians and Americans

• What North Korean defectors experience after escaping

• The human trafficking of North Korean women in China

• Why Christian community is helping refugees heal from trauma

• What America can learn from North Korea about government control and freedom

• Why Jesus offers a freedom no government can give—or take away

Dan shares the remarkable story of a North Korean refugee who recognized the Christian hymn “Fill My Cup, Lord” because her grandfather had secretly sung it years earlier.

He also reveals how trafficked North Korean women are finding Christian community, forgiveness, and hope—and how one woman involved in trafficking came to repentance and was embraced by the very women she had harmed.

The North Korean government has tried to erase Christianity.

It has failed.

The Church is still alive. Jesus is still saving. And the light still shines in the darkness.

👉 Learn more and support Crossing Borders: https://crossingbordersnk.org

💬 COMMENT: What surprised you most about Christianity and the underground Church in North Korea?

👍 LIKE and SHARE this interview to help more people understand the persecution of Christians in North Korea.

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