Sang-Hwa* kneeled in her living room next to a map of the country where she was born, North Korea. Several places on the map are marked with small, red hearts.
“Those are the places where there are prisons and camps”, she said. She could have drawn circles or squares, but she chose hearts. Why? “Because the people in these camps need love”, is her simple answer. Every morning, she kneels and prays for the prisoners and the guards. She prays love over them.
Sang-Hwa comes from a Christian family in North Korea. She escaped to South Korea, but she will never forget her brothers and sisters who suffer ‘back home’. It’s a touching image to see and hear her praying for the prisoners in her country. Sang-Hwa has discovered an important truth: no wall, no fence, no prison bar can stop her prayers.
This is something North Korean Christians firmly believe.
In each message Open Doors partners receive out of North Korea, they ask us to continue to pray, especially for those in prison.
But what are the circumstances for North Korean Christians in prison? The locations of many – but not all – prison camps are known. In each camp, there must be Christians. Sometimes they have managed to keep their faith a secret, sometimes they are in the camp because they were exposed as Christians.
North Korea distinguishes between two types of camps: the reeducation camp (kyo-hwa-so) and camps for political prisoners (kwan-li-so). Kyo-hwa-so literally means “reeducation through labour” and kwan-li-so is usually translated as “management centre”. These are misleading names for what really happens behind the fences.
Kyo-hwa-so
“Reeducation through labour”
● The North Korean government admits these prison camps are there through Article 30 of the North Korean Penal Law
● The camp is run by the Ministry of People’s Security (also responsible for the police)
● Most prisoners have gone through minimal legal proceedings before being detained here
● Family is often notified and are sometimes allowed to bring food and other necessities
● Usually inmates are told how long their sentence will last
● Sometimes there is early release, such as in the case of serious illness or if amnesty is granted because of a celebratory event, such as a leader’s birthday
● People are incarcerated for political or criminal reasons. Essentially, if you can be “reprogrammed” you end up in the re-education camp.
● There are an estimated 20 to 25 larger and smaller re-education camps in North Korea.
Kwan-li-so
“Management Centre”
● North Korea denies the existence of these camps
● The camp is run by the Department of State Security (also responsible for the secret service)
● There is never any legal process, not even a mock trial, for these prisoners
● Prisoners do not have any contact with the outside world
● The vast majority of prisoners are held in “total control zones” for the rest of their lives; release is not possible
● Historically, three generations of a family are incarcerated if one person has committed a political offense, although this rule is no longer always applied
● All prisoners are detained for political reasons
● There are estimated to be about four to six kwan-li-sos in North Korea, although there are constant changes. Some camps are being expanded; others appear to be closed.
Hea-Woo is a North Korean Christian who was arrested while in China and sent to a kyo-hwa-so, a reeducation camp. She remembers arriving in the camp.
“One day, I was taken out of the prison and was driven to a large camp. When I got there, I saw a high wall with a warning written on it in large letters:
DO NOT TRY TO ESCAPE
YOU SHALL BE KILLED
“I was taken to a barracks where fifty women were sleeping on thin mattresses on the floor. The mattresses were pushed up against one another.
“Death was a part of our daily life. The bodies were usually burned and the guards scattered the ashes on the path. Every day, we walked down that path and I always thought, ‘One day the other prisoners will be walking over me’.”
-Hea Woo, former prisoner
If you were to ask me what the worst thing was that I experienced in the camp, I wouldn’t be able to tell you. Every day was torture.”
“One day, the other prisoners will be walking over me”
Constantly there were people dying.
“Death was a part of our daily life. The bodies were usually burned and the guards scattered the ashes on the path. Every day, we walked down that path and I always thought, ‘One day the other prisoners will be walking over me.’
“Every day had the same terrible, monotonous rhythm. At five o’clock we were woken up and the prisoners were counted. After breakfast, which consisted of two or three spoons of rice, at eight o’clock we were marched out of the camp, where we had to work in the fields without a break until twelve o’clock.
“Back in the camp, we were again given a few mouthfuls of food, after which we went back to our work on the land until six o’clock in the evening. In the evenings, we had a criticism session in the camp, during which we had to sit in front of the group and accuse ourselves and others of offences. After a few more spoonfuls of food, we were then given ideological training.
“This was the most difficult part of the day. Our eyes fell shut from exhaustion, but we had to pay attention and learn the words of the leaders off by heart. Otherwise we were punished. After another roll call, at ten o’clock we were finally allowed to go to sleep.”
The biggest enemy
While the treatment of the guards is inhumane, there’s one bigger enemy for Christians and other prisoners: hunger. The average daily calorie intake is just about 500. For most people this should be at least 1500 or 2000 calories per day to live healthy.
Many prisoners try to catch insects, frogs, rats or even snakes to supplement their food. However, if caught, you could be tortured or confined in isolation in a very small space, sometimes just a cage.
Your support allows Open Doors to strengthen Christians where faith costs the most. This month, your gift will help the family of a Christian in captivity.
Praying for Christian Captives
It’s unclear exactly how many Christians are held in North Korean prisons, but estimates suggest there at least 60,000. Their lives are easy to extinguish. And they pray that God will see them in their difficult circumstances.
They have disappeared from their homes, but they are not forgotten. Will you remember them today?
Pray that He will give them the strength to endure, pray that they remain faithful witnesses, pray that God will open the gates of the camps.
No Closed Doors
“When I was in the camp, the Lord told me to evangelize”, Hea Woo says. “Five other women came to faith thanks to my testimony and we formed our own secret church in the camp. Every Sunday and every Christmas day we secretly gathered to glorify the Lord.”
Never forget that no wall, no fence, no prison bar can stop your prayers.
Around the world, Christians face captivity for their faith – whether it’s in a North Korean prison, abducted by extremist groups, or held under house arrest. Will you pray for them?
June 2025 is One With Them, a month devoted to praying for Christian captives. Here’s what you can do:
Persecution is growing, and so are the needs of persecuted believers. More Christians need Bibles, discipleship, trauma counselling, and relief aid as they face violence, displacement, and loss.
The Canada Post strikes slowed the arrival of gifts during this critical time of year. Will you help?
Your support will empower persecuted believers through Bibles, training, relief aid, trauma counselling, and more.
Persecution is growing, and so are the needs of persecuted believers. More Christians need Bibles, discipleship, trauma counselling, and relief aid as they face violence, displacement, and loss.
The Canada Post strikes slowed the arrival of gifts during this critical time of year. Will you help?
Your support will empower persecuted believers through Bibles, training, relief aid, trauma counselling, and more.
