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On the Eve of the Historic Singapore Summit: What the Media Won't Tell You about North Korea

Josh Shepherd : Jun 11, 2018
The Stream

"The greatest thing we can do, especially in light of what may take place on Tuesday, is Christians across America should pray. Pray for peace. Pray for the negotiations, that human rights would be discussed. Pray for the people in these forced labor camps, that God would keep them safe. Pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ." -Vernon Brewer of World Help

[Stream.org] Following a months-long process of advance work, on Tuesday President Donald Trump and North Korea supreme leader Kim Jong Un are expected to meet face-to-face in Singapore. It will be the first-ever meeting between a U.S. president and a North Korean head of state. (Photo: For the past decade, World Help has provided more than 68,000 Bibles to persecuted Christians in North Korea/credit: World Help/via Stream.org)

On Thursday, President Trump noted the meeting—focused on ending North Korea's nuclear program—is built on "a good relationship [for] the ultimate making of a good deal." While many observers have praised these developments, longtime Christian relief leader Vernon Brewer expresses caution.

"In one respect, I hope the President does get the Nobel Peace Prize because that means a deal will have been negotiated for denuclearization," says Brewer, founder of World Help. "Yet real lives are at stake here. Thousands of North Koreans have starved in the last 20 years. They're the ones who pay the ultimate price for the outcome of these negotiations."

Last week, an interfaith coalition including Professor Robert George urged the Trump Administration to incorporate human rights issues into Tuesday's summit. In an interview with The Stream, Vernon Brewer of World Help shares of their work in North Korea, remarkable testimonies from local Christian Believers and his hopes for the summit.

Nemesis Among the Nations

The Stream: What has been the nature of your work in North Korea?

Vernon Brewer: World Help has been serving in North Korea for about a decade. I made my first trip there ten years ago, with several trips since then. I just returned from the DMZ on the Korean border a few months ago. Mainly, our work has involved Bible distribution which has been their number one request.

The greatest thing we can do, especially in light of what may take place on Tuesday, is Christians across America should pray.

We've also helped train leaders, church planters and disciple-makers. That training has taken place outside of North Korea, when pastors and Believers get permission to go into the economic free zone of China. In a clandestine way, we've spent a week with them in intensive discipleship training. The last year or so, it's been increasingly difficult for them to get out...

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