By Jeremiah Goddard
On Tuesday, 18 June Russian President Vladimir Putin visited North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, resulting in both further escalation of tensions with the West, and a landmark agreement that the leaders called an alliance. During his visit, Mr Putin made statements condemning the West and going so far as to call the US a “worldwide neocolonialist dictatorship.” Along with his comments were the details of the agreement between Russia and North Korea. The agreement pledged mutual aid if either country faces “aggression.” The agreement covered security, trade, investment, cultural and humanitarian ties. Mr Putin also said that Russia could deliver weapons to North Korea, which could be seen as a response to NATO allies sending longer-range missiles to Ukraine. Mr Putin said that Moscow has “nothing to lose” and will “go the distance” in Ukraine.
The establishment of this alliance contributes to the greater polarisation between the East and the West and has already caused its own further ripple effects in this regard. The South Korean government is now considering sending weapons to Ukraine, which is a change, given they have only sent humanitarian aid to date. In the past, North Korea’s strongest ally has been China, who has also come under stronger opposition from the West recently for selling components to Russia to be used in Ukraine. The further distribution of weapons on both sides has the potential to drag out the duration of the conflict in Ukraine, while it also contributes to a potential new conflict between North and South Korea. This battle of weaponry unfortunately signals further aggression, rather than progress to peace.
From a Christian perspective, this escalating conflict and the formation of new alliances reminds us of the enduring truth found in Jesus’ teachings. In Matthew 24:6-7, Jesus speaks of wars and rumours of wars, nations rising against nations, and kingdoms against kingdoms. These signs are meant to remind us that conflict will remain part of our fallen world, but instead of being distracted by it we should remain focused on His Kingdom. In light of this, the strengthening of the relationship between Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin could signal the start of change in North Korea, which the Church has been praying for, for decades. While many will question the authenticity of Mr Putin’s faith, we do know that he is a professing Christian, and it is thus a significant change from North Korea’s side to make an alliance with a professing Christian and a country that is portrayed as majority Christian, though Orthodox. This certainly is a change in the relationships that North Korea has kept, and it could signal the start of North Korea opening to outside influence and maybe even Christian influence at that. While this is speculative, God can work through any means he deems necessary. The Christian population in North Korea is difficult to quantify given the closedness of the nation, but Joshua Project estimates approximately 1.6% of the population to be Christian. However, we do know that Christians in North Korea face extreme levels of persecution and pressure, as it’s ranked first on Open Doors’ 2024 World Watch List of countries where Christians face the most persecution. Because of these realities, the global Church has been praying for the Church in North Korea for decades and continues to pray for them for strength to endure despite the hardship. The Christian faith emphasises the power of prayer and the transformative impact it can have on world events. May we thus also believe that God can use these events as an answer to prayers, since we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose (Rom 8:28).
Please join us in prayer for the following:
- For God to continue to make Himself known to North Koreans and give believers the strength to endure the persecution
- For God to use the connection between Mr Putin and Mr Kim to bring about a new openness and positive change in North Korea
- For believers on both sides of the East/West divide to maintain a Kingdom perspective within the growing polarisation and to make use of every opportunity to be a voice of peace and hope.
