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Feature Story

In Prison for Doing Good

“The most evil feeling in the world is hate. … Christ alone can help us overcome these feelings. With his help, we are able to forgive and love.” — Mr. Choi, a Korean Christian who went to prison for helping refugees from North Korea

Mr. Choi is a Christian from South Korea. He, his wife, and his two daughters lived in China, where Mr. Choi was a missionary.

In China, he met North Koreans who had escaped from miserable conditions in their country. People in North Korea have little freedom, and many are very poor. “I wanted to minister to them,” Mr. Choi said.

Mr. Choi began talking with North Koreans as he helped them with their problems. “As we did things together, I led by Christ’s example,” he said. “I wanted to see them gain independence as Christians so they would be strong if they ever found themselves back in North Korea.”

A Wanted Man

The Chinese government does not want people to help North Koreans. They want to send North Koreans back to their country, where they will be punished for escaping.

“My name was on their wanted list,” said Mr. Choi. “Hundreds of …Chinese soldiers were searching for me. I knew that the Chinese authorities would one day imprison me.”

Mr. Choi made up his mind. He decided he would tell guards, judges, soldiers, and other prisoners about Jesus if he was arrested.

Telling the Story of Jesus

“I am a Christian,” Mr. Choi told an officer who questioned him after he was arrested. “I believe in only one God. As his servant, I serve him alone. According to his word, I have done a righteous work [by helping the North Koreans].”

In prison, Mr. Choi shared the gospel with many prisoners. The guards told him he would not get out of prison for five years if he kept telling people about Jesus. Mr. Choi answered, “The responsibility of a Christian is not only to believe in Jesus but also to tell the story of Christ to other people. … I am willing to spend the full five-year sentence in prison.”

The Letter

Mr. Choi’s family did not know what was happening to him. Mr. Choi wanted to send them a letter, but prisoners were not allowed to write letters. Using a piece of wire, he cut words and letters out of his Bible. Then he used glue made out of rice to form the words into sentences in a message. He secretly worked eight hours a day for 17 days to finish the letter. A Korean official then helped him get the letter to his family.

Free to Help Again

The prison guards beat Mr. Choi and treated him harshly because he continued to share the message of Jesus with other prisoners. He weighed 189 pounds before he went to prison. When he was released, he weighed only 103. He went to a hospital in South Korea to recover from the bad treatment he suffered in prison. Today he continues to help North Koreans after they escape from their country.

To learn what happened to Mr. Choi’s daughters while he was in prison, read the story “North Korea and China: Sun-Hee and Su-Ah.”

The Voice of the Martyrs

Statement of Faith

We believe the Bible to be the inspired, authoritative Word of God who is eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His personal return in power and glory.

We believe that for salvation of lost and sinful men, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential.

We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life. We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost. We believe in the spiritual unity of believers of Christ.

We believe in the message of the persecuted churches, a message which has been brought to the West by the founders of the mission, Pastor Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand.

We have witnessed that the blood of the martyrs is the seed which makes the churches grow; and therefore, the mention of martyrs must be brought into the teachings and practices of the church. We believe that Christians who serve and love Christ, and are persecuted for this, should be helped. We believe the Bible teaches that we should love even our enemies. How much more so should we love our brethren who are persecuted for their faith in all parts of the world? Hebrews 13:3 states, "Remember them that are in bonds as bound with them, and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body."

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