{"id":4242,"date":"2022-11-05T13:16:00","date_gmt":"2022-11-05T13:16:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/stories\/?p=4242"},"modified":"2022-10-21T21:11:42","modified_gmt":"2022-10-21T21:11:42","slug":"north-korean-woman-sold","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/stories\/north-korean-woman-sold\/","title":{"rendered":"North Korean Christian Woman Escapes Sex Trafficking"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Choon-yei was born into a comfortable and secure family, by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/globalprayerguide\/north-korea\/?_source_code=VSLEG02N3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">North Korean<\/a> standards. Her father was a military officer, and her mother was a housewife. Since family background largely determines the future for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/globalprayerguide\/north-korea\/?_source_code=VSLEG02N3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">North Korean<\/a> citizens, her family could expect a good life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1995, however, just a few years after Choon-yei\u2019s birth, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/globalprayerguide\/north-korea\/?_source_code=VSLEG02N3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">North Korea<\/a> experienced the worst famine in its history. Millions died of starvation. And even though her father was a military officer, Choon-yei\u2019s family received only two fistfuls of corn flour each day \u2014 not nearly enough to feed a family of four.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In desperation, they gave up on the government\u2019s ability to provide for them and began dealing on the black market. But the extra corn flour that her mother had obtained from a relative and sold illegally still barely provided for their family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAny North Korean who survived that time period is a living miracle,\u201d Choon-yei said. \u201cNorth Koreans had to break the law just to eat a meal. State security agents would confiscate anything they uncovered on the black market and eat it themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\r\n\t<div class=\"wp-block-vom-subscribe-ad\">\r\n\t\t<figure>\r\n\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.persecution.com\/stories\/wp-content\/plugins\/vom-custom-block-subscribe-ad\/assets\/magazine-cover.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/>\r\n\t\t<\/figure>\r\n\t\t<div class=\"text-button\">\r\n\t\t\t<p>Request your free magazine<\/p>\r\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/free-magazine\/?_source_code=VSTORYM1\" class=\"wp-block-button__link\" aria-label=\"Subscribe to our free magazine\">Subscribe<\/a>\r\n\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n\r\n\t\n\n\n<p>The famine was just the beginning of Choon-yei\u2019s suffering. Her parents died when she was in her early teens, and soon after their deaths, when Choon-yei was 15, her sister got married. Not wanting to be a financial burden on her sister and brother-in-law, Choon-yei decided to live on her own. Her only option was to earn money illegally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/globalprayerguide\/north-korea\/?_source_code=VSLEG02N3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">North Korean government<\/a>, intent on confiscating money that people like Choon-yei had earned through the black market, announced a \u201ccurrency reform\u201d in 2009. Citizens were given one week to exchange all existing currency for the new currency, and anything exceeding a maximum amount set by the government was confiscated. While many who had saved more than the allowable sum lost their money, Choon-yei managed to avoid financial ruin and keep her illegal transactions undetected because she wisely had been trading only in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/globalprayerguide\/china\/?_source_code=VSLEG02C3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Chinese <\/a>currency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A Terrifying Message<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2012, when Choon-yei turned 20, a friend invited her to come along on a business trip to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/globalprayerguide\/china\/?_source_code=VSLEG02C3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Chinese<\/a> city of Changbai, on the China\u2013North Korea border. Her friend, who visited China often, had told her about people she had met there, including Deacon Jang and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/stories\/pastor-han-martyred-north-korean-assassins\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Pastor Han Chung-Ryeol<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During their visit to Changbai, the women stayed in Deacon Jang\u2019s home. While there, Choon-yei noticed a picture on the wall of a cross and a man \u2014 Jesus \u2014 holding a sheep. \u201cThe house felt different to me than other places,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"684\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.persecution.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/CUS202001AB_0025_pub_Choon-Yei-1024x684.png\" alt=\"North Korean women and man sit at table reading bible\" class=\"wp-image-4243\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets.persecution.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/CUS202001AB_0025_pub_Choon-Yei-1024x684.png 1024w, https:\/\/assets.persecution.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/CUS202001AB_0025_pub_Choon-Yei-300x201.png 300w, https:\/\/assets.persecution.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/CUS202001AB_0025_pub_Choon-Yei-768x513.png 768w, https:\/\/assets.persecution.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/CUS202001AB_0025_pub_Choon-Yei-1536x1027.png 1536w, https:\/\/assets.persecution.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/CUS202001AB_0025_pub_Choon-Yei-2048x1369.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Another curiosity to Choon-yei was the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/bibles\/?_source_code=VSLEG05\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Bible<\/a> she saw sitting openly on a bedside table; it was the first one she had ever seen. \u201cI just opened it,\u201d she said. \u201cOut of curiosity I did it, but I was really afraid, scared, because anyone who sees a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/nkbibles\/?_source_code=VSLEG03\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Christian Bible <\/a>becomes a political criminal. I heard from people that anyone who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/nkbibles\/?_source_code=VSLEG03\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">smuggled or brings a Bible<\/a>, even if a smuggler didn\u2019t know there was a Bible in a box, they are sent to a concentration camp right away.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After opening the Bible and touching its forbidden pages, she began scanning the text. \u201cI felt the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/nkbibles\/?_source_code=VSLEG03\">Bible <\/a>come into my heart even though it was my first time reading it,\u201d she said. Just hours after she and her friend reached Deacon Jang\u2019s home, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/stories\/pastor-han-martyred-north-korean-assassins\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Pastor Han<\/a> arrived and immediately started sharing the gospel with Choon-yei, offering reasons why she should place her trust in Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe whole thing made me very nervous, because what we were doing was illegal by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/nkbibles\/?_source_code=VSLEG03\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">North Korean<\/a> standards,\u201d Choon-yei said. \u201cI avoided looking at him and instead read the Ten Commandments that were printed on the inside cover of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/nkbibles\/?_source_code=VSLEG03\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Bible<\/a>. The crosses in the home terrified me because I knew that being in a place with that symbol could cause me to be sent to a concentration camp when I returned to North Korea.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After listening to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/stories\/pastor-han-martyred-north-korean-assassins\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Pastor Han<\/a> and reading the words in the Bible, however, Choon-yei could not understand why the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/globalprayerguide\/north-korea\/?_source_code=VSLEG02N3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">North Korean<\/a> government hated Christianity so much. \u201cChristianity seemed to be telling the truth,\u201d she said. \u201cAt first I thought Christianity was superstition. But when I saw the Ten Commandments, I realized that if everyone in the world followed them, we would all be very happy and the world would be a much better place.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"748\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.persecution.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/CUS202001AN_0002_upRes_V1_pub_Choon-Yei-748x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4247\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets.persecution.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/CUS202001AN_0002_upRes_V1_pub_Choon-Yei-748x1024.jpg 748w, https:\/\/assets.persecution.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/CUS202001AN_0002_upRes_V1_pub_Choon-Yei-219x300.jpg 219w, https:\/\/assets.persecution.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/CUS202001AN_0002_upRes_V1_pub_Choon-Yei-768x1052.jpg 768w, https:\/\/assets.persecution.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/CUS202001AN_0002_upRes_V1_pub_Choon-Yei-1122x1536.jpg 1122w, https:\/\/assets.persecution.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/CUS202001AN_0002_upRes_V1_pub_Choon-Yei-1496x2048.jpg 1496w, https:\/\/assets.persecution.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/CUS202001AN_0002_upRes_V1_pub_Choon-Yei-scaled.jpg 1870w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 748px) 100vw, 748px\" \/><figcaption>Deacon Jang was abducted in China by North Korean security agents. He has not been seen or heard from since.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Choon-yei learned more about God by reading the Book of Genesis. \u201cThe trees, all nature, I didn\u2019t know that God created all this,\u201d she said. The concept of a Creator God is new to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/globalprayerguide\/north-korea\/?_source_code=VSLEG02N3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">North Koreans<\/a>, whose understanding of creation is limited to the theory of evolution. In addition, the North Korean view of reality is purely materialistic, so the idea of an unseen God is incomprehensible. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/nkbibles\/?_source_code=VSLEG03\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Sharing the gospel with North Koreans<\/a>, therefore, often begins with the Book of Genesis, which sets the groundwork for faith in an unseen but real God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As <a href=\"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/stories\/pastor-han-martyred-north-korean-assassins\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Pastor Han<\/a> began to tell her more about Jesus Christ, her body shook with fear. She knew what it would cost her if the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/globalprayerguide\/north-korea\/?_source_code=VSLEG02N3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">North Korean government<\/a> found out she had placed her faith in Christ or even heard the gospel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The following day, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/stories\/pastor-han-martyred-north-korean-assassins\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Pastor Han<\/a> returned to Deacon Jang\u2019s house to speak with Choon-yei again. He wanted to tell her as much as possible about Christ before she returned home. \u201cAt that time, I felt much better because it was the second time to see him,\u201d she said. After four more hours of teaching, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/stories\/pastor-han-martyred-north-korean-assassins\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Pastor Han<\/a> placed his hands on her head and prayed for her. \u201cI felt uncomfortable,\u201d Choon-yei recalled. But when the pastor prayed for her protection crossing the border back into North Korea, she said she felt at peace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Before Choon-yei and her friend left for their return to North Korea, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/stories\/pastor-han-martyred-north-korean-assassins\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Pastor Han<\/a> talked more about Christ and how to find peace. \u201cHe told us whenever we have a difficult time, to pray like this and we need to look for God, Jesus,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The pastor\u2019s teaching never left her. \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/stories\/pastor-han-martyred-north-korean-assassins\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Pastor Han<\/a> explained to me that God is Creator and God is listening to our prayers,\u201d she said. \u201cSo whenever I had any difficult times, I always began to pray, \u2018Lord God, please help me in this and that.\u2019 Without recognizing that I was praying, I naturally came to pray.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Choon-yei would need to remember <a href=\"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/stories\/pastor-han-martyred-north-korean-assassins\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Pastor Han\u2019s<\/a> words in the days to come. As she and her friend began their dangerous return to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/globalprayerguide\/north-korea\/?_source_code=VSLEG02N3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">North Korea<\/a>, her friend warned her to stay quiet about their visit in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/globalprayerguide\/china\/?_source_code=VSLEG02C3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">China<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Escape in Pajamas<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Shortly after Choon-yei returned home, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/globalprayerguide\/north-korea\/?_source_code=VSLEG02N3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">North Korean<\/a> state security agents rounded up several hundred people associated with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/stories\/pastor-han-martyred-north-korean-assassins\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Pastor Han<\/a> and Deacon Jang\u2019s ministry. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/globalprayerguide\/north-korea\/?_source_code=VSLEG02N3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">North Korean<\/a> spies had traveled to China pretending to be interested in Christianity and acquired the names of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/globalprayerguide\/north-korea\/?_source_code=VSLEG02N3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">North Koreans<\/a> who had met with the two Christians. The friend who had taken Choon-yei to meet them was among those arrested, and, under the stress of interrogation, she gave authorities Choon-yei\u2019s name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Choon-yei\u2019s worst fears were realized one morning when state security agents arrived at her sister\u2019s house, where she was staying. Still wearing her pajamas and slippers, Choon-yei sneaked out through the kitchen and ran to a nearby friend\u2019s house, where she borrowed clothes and shoes. She told her friend that she had to leave suddenly because her sister and brother-in-law had gotten into a fight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Choon-yei\u2019s sister tried to stall the security agents, but eventually they realized she was lying to them and called for reinforcements to help them search for Choon-yei in nearby homes. But Choon-yei was far ahead of them. Using her sister\u2019s ID card, she had boarded a bus heading for a relative\u2019s home two days away, where she would hide until she felt safe.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"589\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.persecution.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/CUS202001AB_0014_room_v03_pub_Choon-Yei-589x1024.jpg\" alt=\"North Korean interrogated\" class=\"wp-image-4245\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets.persecution.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/CUS202001AB_0014_room_v03_pub_Choon-Yei-589x1024.jpg 589w, https:\/\/assets.persecution.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/CUS202001AB_0014_room_v03_pub_Choon-Yei-173x300.jpg 173w, https:\/\/assets.persecution.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/CUS202001AB_0014_room_v03_pub_Choon-Yei-768x1335.jpg 768w, https:\/\/assets.persecution.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/CUS202001AB_0014_room_v03_pub_Choon-Yei-884x1536.jpg 884w, https:\/\/assets.persecution.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/CUS202001AB_0014_room_v03_pub_Choon-Yei-1178x2048.jpg 1178w, https:\/\/assets.persecution.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/CUS202001AB_0014_room_v03_pub_Choon-Yei-scaled.jpg 1473w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 589px) 100vw, 589px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>After several months, Choon-yei decided it was safe to return home. The government had not abandoned its pursuit of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/stories\/pastor-han-martyred-north-korean-assassins\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Pastor Han<\/a> and Deacon Jang, however. In November 2014, North Korean state security agents abducted Deacon Jang in China and imprisoned him in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/globalprayerguide\/north-korea\/?_source_code=VSLEG02N3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">North Korea<\/a>. Months after his abduction, state security agents arrived at Choon-yei\u2019s home and told her that Deacon Jang had been arrested. They pressured her to testify against him, claiming that he had discussed overthrowing the North Korean government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While she admitted to visiting Deacon Jang\u2019s home, Choon-yei told the agents that she hadn\u2019t heard him say anything against the government. \u201cThe agent kept assuring me that nothing bad would happen to me if I just gave them the statement they wanted,\u201d she said. \u201cBut I refused. I was really afraid at the time, but I think that ever since <a href=\"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/stories\/pastor-han-martyred-north-korean-assassins\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Pastor Han<\/a> had prayed for me, God has always taken care of me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Sold into sex trafficking in china<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Several years later, in 2017, one of Choon-yei\u2019s friends persuaded her to return to China for an opportunity to make money. When she arrived in China, Choon-yei learned that her friend was a sex trafficker who sold <a href=\"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/globalprayerguide\/north-korea\/?_source_code=VSLEG02N3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">North Korean<\/a> women to Chinese men as wives. Having no knowledge of Chinese and no way to escape back to North Korea, Choon-yei and six other women had no choice but to await their sale to Chinese men.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>North Korean women are often targeted by sex traffickers, who deceive them with promises of moneymaking opportunities. Stuck in China, some have been unable to contact their families in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/globalprayerguide\/north-korea\/?_source_code=VSLEG02N3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">North Korea<\/a> for more than a decade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Choon-yei was the first woman in her group to be sold to a Chinese man.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fortunately, Choon-yei\u2019s Chinese husband and family were kind to her, which is rare in sex trafficking. More often, North Korean women are abused by their Chinese husbands and are forced to stay in hiding to avoid detection by Chinese authorities, who routinely return them to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/globalprayerguide\/north-korea\/?_source_code=VSLEG02N3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">North Korea<\/a> for arrest and prosecution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite her husband\u2019s kindness, Choon-yei was troubled and refused to eat. Eventually, after contacting some relatives who had escaped to South Korea, she managed to escape from her husband and his family. Surprisingly, when they learned of her escape, they wired her money to ensure that she could buy food and arrive safely in South Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"660\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.persecution.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/CUS202001AB_0034_hill_v04_pub_Choon-Yei-1024x660.png\" alt=\"North Korean Woman flees in woods\" class=\"wp-image-4248\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets.persecution.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/CUS202001AB_0034_hill_v04_pub_Choon-Yei-1024x660.png 1024w, https:\/\/assets.persecution.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/CUS202001AB_0034_hill_v04_pub_Choon-Yei-300x193.png 300w, https:\/\/assets.persecution.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/CUS202001AB_0034_hill_v04_pub_Choon-Yei-768x495.png 768w, https:\/\/assets.persecution.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/CUS202001AB_0034_hill_v04_pub_Choon-Yei-1536x991.png 1536w, https:\/\/assets.persecution.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/CUS202001AB_0034_hill_v04_pub_Choon-Yei-2048x1321.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Choon-yei never forgot what Pastor Han had told her. During her escape from China, she prayed to God: \u201cLord, if You are real, then make my journey safe going to South Korea; then I am going to follow You.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Cloud of Witnesses<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>After her long journey to South Korea, Choon-yei was sent to a resettlement center where North Korean defectors are taught basic life skills to help them function in South Korean society. While at the center, she learned that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/stories\/pastor-han-martyred-north-korean-assassins\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Pastor Han<\/a> had been killed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMy anger toward North Korea increased because North Korea had killed such a good man [who helped] a lot of North Koreans with food and money,\u201d she said. \u201cI felt like I was seeing the real face of my country. He tried to help North Koreans survive. What was his crime?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While at the resettlement center, she also thought about her Chinese husband. He was a sincere, honest man, and he had taken good care of her despite the fact that he had purchased her. \u201cIt was so painful for me to leave him behind,\u201d she said. Eventually he was able to join Choon-yei in South Korea, where he, too, became a Christian. \u201cHe goes to church with me and is getting to know God more now,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Though Choon-yei\u2019s husband does not speak Korean and she is still learning Chinese, they are committed to building a Christian marriage. They attend VOM\u2019s Underground Technology discipleship-training program in Seoul, and a Chinese translator helps Choon-yei\u2019s husband understand the lessons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As Choon-yei considers the difficulties she has faced in life, she now sees how God has intervened and drawn her to Himself. \u201cI am grateful for everything,\u201d she said. \u201cI will be grateful if God uses my husband and me in any way.\u201d She also prays that her isolated homeland of North Korea will be opened for the gospel. \u201cNorth Koreans need to know quickly,\u201d she said, \u201cas quickly as possible they need to know the truth. They should know who the Creator is.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Choon-yei is especially grateful for the way God used Pastor Han and Deacon Jang to reach her with the gospel. She asks Christians around the world to continue praying for Deacon Jang, who has been in prison since November 2014, and for the families of both Deacon Jang and<a href=\"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/stories\/pastor-han-martyred-north-korean-assassins\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> Pastor Han<\/a>. \u201cThe Bible says we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses,\u201d she said. \u201cThey are part of that cloud. And now is my hour to faithfully run the race for which Deacon Jang and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/stories\/pastor-han-martyred-north-korean-assassins\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Pastor Han<\/a> first trained me.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Choon-yei was born into a comfortable and secure family, by North Korean standards. Her father was a military officer, and her mother was a housewife. Since family background largely determines the future for North Korean citizens, her family could expect a good life. In 1995, however, just a few years after Choon-yei\u2019s birth, North Korea experienced the worst famine in its history. Millions died of starvation. And even though her father was a military officer, Choon-yei\u2019s family received only two fistfuls of corn flour each day \u2014 not nearly enough to feed a family of four. In desperation, they gave up on the government\u2019s ability to provide for them and began dealing on the black market. But the extra corn flour that her mother had obtained from a relative and sold illegally still barely provided for their family. \u201cAny North Korean who survived that time period is a living miracle,\u201d Choon-yei said. \u201cNorth Koreans had to break the law just to eat a meal. State security agents would confiscate anything they uncovered on the black market and eat it themselves.\u201d The famine was just the beginning of Choon-yei\u2019s suffering. Her parents died when she was in her early teens, and<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4246,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[44],"class_list":["post-4242","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-field-stories","tag-north-korea","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>North Korean Christian Woman Escapes Sex Trafficking - Stories<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"North Korean women are often targeted by sex traffickers, who deceive them with promises of moneymaking opportunities.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/stories\/north-korean-woman-sold\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"North Korean Christian Woman Escapes Sex Trafficking - 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