I asked one of the Danish European Mission's contacts in South Korea, Tim Peters, about this. For 22 years he has helped North Koreans in crisis, including persecuted Christians.
What is the outcome of the June meeting between Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump?
- The meeting was good in terms of personal chemistry and mood, but in terms of concrete results, the statement was very watered down. Trump understood Kim to be committed to nuclear disarmament, but the question is whether Kim meant the same. My hope is slim.
Has the meeting had results for people in North Korea?
No, ordinary citizens have not benefited from this meeting, at least not in the short term.
What is the outcome of meetingsbetween Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in?
Mr. Moon has been exceptionally proactive, taking initiative and reaching out to Kim Jong-un, especially at a time when the tone between the US and
North Korea was belligerent. This was demonstrated by the warm welcome North Korea received at the Winter Olympics.
Personally, I think Moon should be commended for addressing the North Korea issue, but I also think he runs the risk of being manipulated by the North Korean regime.
What is a good deal for South Korea?
That North Korea will destroy its nuclear weapons. It's easy for North Korea to promise in words and in writing, but these weapons are actually the best card North Korea holds against the outside world. Kim Jong-un and North Korea don't want to end up like Libya, where Gaddafi gave up his nuclear weapons but no one helped him when he was attacked and subsequently suffered a humiliating death.
What are the prospects for reunification?
We can always hope, but the two sides have grown apart over the past 70 years since the Korean War began. There is the possibility of steps towards reunification, for example through economic cooperation projects, such as the former industrial complex in Jaesong, which South Korea withdrew from when the money earned by North Korea was spent on nuclear armament. The Mount Kumgang tourism project is another example where South Koreans could vacation in North Korea, but it was halted when a South Korean tourist was accidentally killed by a North Korean soldier.
These projects were successful for a period of time, and Moon would like to start similar projects and gradually build cooperation and eventually reach reunification.
In my opinion, reunification in South Korea is understood to mean that all citizens should have equal rights, while North Korea sees reunification as unification under the Kim family. Therefore, you have to choose the definition, which is why I also believe that a step-by-step approach, over a generation or two, is the only viable path. However, I cannot know if there will be major upheavals that will speed up the process.
I know South Korean Christians have been praying for reunification, but the welcome North Korean refugees receive in South Korea is not always warm. Perhaps God is testing us with the few thousands that are coming at the moment, with the help of Danish European Mission donors and others, to see if He can trust us to open the border and allow North Koreans to pour in.
The young generation of South Koreans feel that North Korean refugees are a burden on society, receiving social benefits they do not receive. The Church should be on the front line because, unlike other civil society organizations, it can work on these issues from a spiritual perspective and, in a different way, deal with bitterness and work towards reconciliation.
I also want to say that Danish European Mission donors are contributing to this reconciliation process - and even eventually to reunification - in a very practical way by giving medicine to the sick inside North Korea, seeds to the hungry so they can grow vegetables and by helping refugees. Through this help, hundreds of North Koreans can feel that someone from the outside cares for them. One day we will
See how the little things we did have made a big difference.
Can the regime in North Korea fall like the socialist regimes in Eastern Europe?
The North Korean refugee camps are run along Stalinist lines, and if anyone tries to overthrow the regime, not only they but also their families will be imprisoned. In this way, I think the North Korean regime is diabolical as it harms relatives, children and spouses when someone fights for freedom for the people. It is like an evil spiritual fortress.
And how can the underground church survive? It seems to be thriving?
What you say is absolutely correct, and I would add a scripture: if sin became greater, grace has become all the greater (Romans 5:20b). The sin in North Korea is unfathomable - what happens in the prison camps, where there are examples of mothers having their children forcibly aborted and people tortured in inhumane ways, but the Bible promises us that grace will be greater. Even under an evil regime like North Korea, the underground church is experiencing God's grace and intervention," concludes Tim Peters.
