Christians around the world are praying for persecuted believers in North Korea.

There are an estimated 200,000 Christians in the reclusive communist country, which has topped Open Doors’ annual list of countries where persecution against Christians has been most severe for the last six years in a row.

Open Doors is urging Christians to pray on Wednesday for North Korean believers who the group says face being beaten, arrested, tortured or even killed because of their religious beliefs.

The Methodist Church is taking part in the day of prayer and plans to help run a food production company in North Korea. The Church’s Fund for World Mission has released a grant of over $7,000 to support the project.

Steve Pearce, Partnership Coordinator for Asia and the Pacific, said: “Times are particularly hard for all the people of North Korea at the present time.

“The North Korean population is cut off and isolated from the rest of the world and dependent on the regime for their needs. “Food is scarce for many – there are problems in the supply of humanitarian aid.”

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“Christianity is treated as ‘a bad element’ in this socialist country. Christians have been beaten, arrested, tortured, or killed because of their religious beliefs,” he added.

January 14 also marks the 102nd anniversary of the Great Pyongyang Revival, a movement of repentance over sin and the most important Christian revival in Korean history that was soon followed by dramatic growth in the church there.

The World Evangelical Alliance is encouraging believers around the world to follow in the footsteps of the Christians who took part in the Great Pyongyang Revival by holding their own overnight repentance and prayer meetings for North Korea.