China Frees Tragedy-Laden North Korean Activist

ICC Note:

Another answer to prayer: the North Korean activist who was imprisoned in China for his efforts to help rescue North Korean refugees has been released. Due to the loss of his wife and youngest son, Yoo Sang-joon has given his life to the cause of the North Korean refugees in China.

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1/8/2008 China, North Korea (ChristianPost) A North Korean activist who was imprisoned in China for helping North Korean refugees has been freed, reported a Christian human rights group Monday.

Yoo Sang-joon is now safely in South Korea after spending the last four months in a prison located in northern China, according to Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW). He is said to have endured extreme cold during his imprisonment and was believed he would die while being confined in China.

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Yoo, a North Korean survivor, was arrested near the Chinese-Mongolian border while trying to rescue other North Koreans from danger in China. He had lost his wife and youngest son in the North Korean famine. He realized the same fate awaited him and his remaining son if they remained in the country, and decided to flee to China.

But unable to travel together, his 10-year-old son, Chul Min, attempted to cross the Mongolian border by himself. Unfamiliar with the inhospitable terrain, he wandered 26 hours and – suffering from dehydration and weakened from the famine – died before crossing the border.

Yoo himself was able to reach South Korea and is a citizen, but he continues to be haunted by the loss of his family. As a result, he has dedicated his life to helping North Korean refugees in China, especially children, at the risk of his own safety.

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North Korea is one of the most repressive regimes in the world and is ranked by the watchdog Open Doors as the world’s worst persecutor of Christians. Citizens of the communist state are forced to adhere to a personality cult that revolves around worshipping current dictator Kim Jong Il and his deceased father, Kim Il Sung.

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