As part of Family Research Council's growing engagement on international religious freedom, each month we are taking a focused look at one particular country, bearing witness to the abuses our Christian sisters and brothers are enduring. While we pray for our own country, we also pray for countries where religious freedom does not exist and persecution against believers continues unabated.

In September, our international religious freedom focus is on North Korea.

When Ji Hyeona was growing up in North Korea, the word "faith" meant being loyal to the Kim family dictators.

Religious freedom doesn't exist in North Korea and adhering to any religion is extremely dangerous, as Ji found out for herself. One day, she was taken to the local Ministry of State Security without warning. There, she was beaten and tortured, not knowing why she was being singled out for such treatment.

Then, the authorities placed Ji's Bible on the desk in front of her. It was a Bible her mother had brought back to North Korea after a trip to China, and Ji had begun to read it. Sadly, her own friend had reported her to the government for possessing a Bible.

At the time, Ji was able to talk her way out of further punishment, but she was informed she would not be forgiven if this happened again.

And that was not Ji's last encounter with North Korean authorities. She managed the difficult escape from North Korea four times -- and was forcibly repatriated back to North Korea by Chinese authorities three times. Forced labor in prison camps awaits those who dare leave the hermit kingdom.

Twice in China, Ji was forced into prostitution, and during one repatriation to North Korea, she returned pregnant. Because so-called "mixed-race" babies are not recognized in North Korea, repatriated defectors who return pregnant endure brutal and heartbreaking forced abortions. Ji was no exception.

Ji continues to tell her story despite how painful it is. Why? She says, "While people are dying and the rest of the world watches that... if they maintain their silence despite knowing what is going on, I don't think that's right."

For nearly two decades, Open Doors' World Watch List has continuously designated North Korea as the #1 worst persecutor of Christians in the world. The horrifying stories told by escapees like Ji describe unimaginable cruelties under the brutal Kim family's authority.

The 2020 U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) report explains, "The (North Korean) government treats religion as a threat...Christians are especially vulnerable because the government views them as susceptible to foreign influence. ... Anyone caught practicing religion or even suspected of harboring religious views in private is subject to severe punishment, including arrest, torture, imprisonment, and execution."

We don't know exactly how many Christians like Ji are suffering inside North Korea, but there are many. Please join us as we pray for them -- for protection, guidance, and deliverance from their cruel persecutors.