The tragic yet powerful stories of 70 North Korean Christians who have disappeared with little or no trace from North Korea’s brutal, torturous prisons are now told in a new report, “Remembering the Disappeared: A Testimony Report on North Korea’s Political Prisoners.”
The report is being released this week as part of the 2025 North Korea Freedom Week (NKFW), which takes place through June 14 in Germany. This is the first time a European country has hosted the week’s events, which will include a worship service and prayer gatherings outside the North Korean and Chinese embassies in Berlin.
One story captured in the report is that of Kim Sung-sik.
Kim Sung-sik was 49 years old when he was arrested in 2007 at his home in Gungsim-ri, Hoeryong City, North Korea, after he was caught distributing Bibles and Christian literature.
Communist authorities charged him with participating in a secret family-based Christian community and organizing an unauthorized religious association with anti-state intent — essentially leading an underground church.
Authorities had started to catch on to his subversive Christianity. In late December 2006, Bibles and other gifts were left at the houses of local families who were struggling in various ways. The Hoeryong City Counterintelligence Division accused Kim and his family of distributing these Bibles and gift bags and sentenced him to 11 months in prison.
In early 2008, news emerged that he had been transferred to a political prison camp. Since then, his loved ones have known nothing about his health, location, or his case. He has essentially disappeared.
Kim comes from a strong Christian heritage. His grandfather was a Presbyterian minister who had been persecuted and imprisoned by the Communist regime. Kim’s wife and children were also arrested six months after Kim and have also disappeared.
Kim himself was well-known in his community for his Christian character and values. Another North Korean defector who knew him testified that Kim had a “character like steel” — he never bowed to anyone.
“I remember once he directly confronted a counterintelligence officer about accepting bribes and embarrassed him in front of others,” the defector said. “Locals respected him for his honesty and integrity, but the Ministry of State Security saw him as a thorn in their side. That confrontation escalated tensions, and in the end, the officer took revenge by branding him a traitor. This was a great witness for Christ to his neighbors and government officials despite the heavy cost.”
Although tragic, these stories illustrate the great courage and resilience of North Korean Christians amid great oppression and suffering. Let these stories move, encourage, and lead you to pray for our persecuted Christian brethren in North Korea.
The report is expected to be available for download in the coming days.
