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you heavens, from above! And let the skies pour down righteousness;

Let the earth open,

Let them bring forth salvation

Isaiah 45:8a

RAIN DOWN RAIN DOWN

In the 1980s, the South Korean govern-ment launched bal-loons containing prop-aganda flyers into NK. Each 40 foot tall balloon could carry thousands of flyers. But when the South Korean government sought to pacify the

North during the so-called Sunshine Policy years, they asked the North Korean government, What can we do to improve relations? Stop doing the shortwave radio broadcasts, the NKs said, And stop sending the balloon flyers!

So the South Korean government moth-balled the radio equipment and the balloons.

In the 90s, when the growing North Korean Christian defector community begin to seek God on how to partner with their brothers and sisters still inside NK to spread the Gospel, they quickly realized what they needed to do: broadcast Christian messages in the NK dialect every day using shortwave radio, and send gospel balloon flyersas many as possibleinto the North, and do all this as cheaply as possible. Because they had, you know, no money.

So with the support of VOM they studied the technology used by the South Korean government and adapted it. They created new

balloons out of the plastic used by farmers to cover their fields. They switched from more expensive helium to less expensive hydrogen. They wrote and printed their own flyers.

And each week they launch these flyersand, soon, Biblesback over the border into North Korea praying their own prayers and singing their own laments.

Rain down, you heavens, from above

And let the skies pour down righteousness;

Let the earth open,

Let them bring forth salvation." (Is. 45:8a)

CO

NTENTS

P R O D U C E D B Y S E O U L U S A

U.S. Office

14960 Woodcarver Road

Colorado Springs, CO 80921

Phone: 719-481-4408

Seoul Office

236-1 Duck Seong Building 1st Floor

Mapo-dong Mapo-Gu Seoul, Korea

Phone: 02-2065-0703

How Do the Balloons Work?

Balloons are then filled with hydrogen which is cheaper than helium.

Using wire, plastic tubing, and acidic liquid, a timer is set to release the fliers/Bibles once the balloon is over North Korean territory.

An alternative (and previously used) method for releasing the fliers/Bibles involves connecting strings to an actual timer.

Launchers load the bags of fliers into ve-hicles and drive to the launch site.

40 foot balloons made with farm plas-tic are unfurled to prepare for filling.

Fliers printed with the Gospel message are crumpled and bagged.

The launch team prays together asking God to use the fliers and Bibles to bring North Koreans to Christ.

The balloons are released into the air as launchers hope and wait for them to travel towards North Korea.

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Balloons are tracked visually until out of site.

The balloon launch team is made up of staff and students

from Seoul USAs Underground University Program!

Balloon launches take place in the countryside areas near the

border between South Korea and North Korea where the wind

current is favorable. Complex weather measurements are taken

to ensure balloons float in the right direction and land where

intended inside North Korea. Our launch team is on call ready

to go out for a launch at any time: day or night, rain or shine.

Balloon launches have become one of Seoul USAs most popular ministries

to North Korea. With many individuals and organizations sponsoring

balloons, we average around two launches per week.

While it is virtually impossible to get pictures of our balloons/fliers opening up in North Korea, these pictures were taken by a South Korean man from inside North Korea at the Kaesong Industrial Zone. Taking photos like these can get you killed, making them extremely rare. These ones were taken with a keychain camera and made the evening news.

Where Do You

Launch?

How Often Do You

Launch?

www.seoulusa.org/balloons

www.dotw.tv

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Each year, the message on our fliers is updated by our Underground University students. Drawn from their own personal growth, learning

what it means to share the Gospel, students draft the text that will be read by their fellow North Koreans. Below are translated excerpts from this years fliers:

FLIERS You have been taught that religion is a superstition, like

opium - a terrible and wicked thing to believe. We know that you will be labeled as a traitor. The North Korean government wants you to believe there is no God in this world. But there is, and hes not a superstition. He is the one, true God and his name is Jesus.

This is the true love of God, pre-pared for you. If you, who are read-

ing this letter, believe and declare Jesus as your lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved and become Gods child and live forever with him. Of course its true. Thats why Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jung-Il dont want you to know it. If you did, they could no longer claim to be your gods.

Dont forget that there are many people around the world who have

also confessed Jesus as their lord and prayed for this flyer to be sent to you. Now, you know the truth about God. He loves you and he wanted you to receive this flyer. I and many others are praying for you. Be victorious in our great God. We pray in Jesus's name, Amen.

BIBLES Bibles launched into North Korea weigh only 60 grams and measure 8x12cm. Prior to launch, personal messages are written in the Bibles by other Christians. The Bibles are then shrink- wrapped to protect from moisture damage and bagged in preparation for launch.

Despite their large similarities, the North and South Korean

dialects are actually 40% divergent, which means South

Korean Bible translations are not ideal for communicating the

message of Scripture to North Koreans. These small Bibles

provide the Gospel in the native North Korean dialect,

creating an ideal opportunity for North Korean exiles to

inherit a strong understanding of Scripture.

What Do You

Launch?

Seoul USA used to use the orange balloons seen to the right for balloon launches (we still do, under special circumstances). The balloons themselves have the Gospel printed on them. Their use was discontinued because...

1. The newer farm plastic balloons can carry tens of thousands of fliers; many more than the orange ones,

2. The smaller, more numerous Gospel-printed fliers disperse over a much wider territory making them harder for NK soldiers to collect and dispose of, and

3. Reports were received that the larger and sturdier orange fliers were being used to wrap pipes and keep them warm. Offenders were suspected of being Christians and punished accordingly. The new, thinner, fliers are only useful for reading.

Around ten years ago, Seoul USAs VOM-Korea and VOM-US started a

partnership to serve the persecuted church in North Korea. But back

before VOM was, well, VOM, it was called Jesus to the Communist

World and in 1970, a predecessor to our organization did Gospel balloon

launching into North Korea. The pictures on this page were dug up

from VOM-US archive. To the left

is a letter between Col.

Woon Seh Park - the man

coordinating the balloon

launches - and Rev. Benjamin

Moore. To the right is a

picture showing the balloons and their payloads traversing a

wall on their way to North Korea.

Col. Park was later killed in a traffic accident, but his legacy

continues with each balloon that takes flight over the DMZ

(de-militarized zone serving as a buffer between North and

South Korea).

ching Start?

North Korean defectors regularly share with us about how they read the fliers launched from South Korea. In fact, we now know that the North Korean government warns citizens that fliers are laced with poison and are deadly to the touch.

Still, our best means of verification comes straight from the North Korean government. Their vigorous and consistent protesting with the South Korean government, along with their constant threats of retaliation against balloon launches, indicate the balloons are doing exactly what we want them to: putting the Gospel in the hands of North Koreans.

The pastor of one of our partner church congregations

met a North Korean woman in China who had found one of

our balloon flyers. She picked it up knowing that she was risking her life to do so. The NK

government ordered its citizens not to pick up any fliers, saying theyre covered in poison. If one

inadvertently lands in your yard or workplace, you must turn it in immediately to the government

without reading it. When the pastor began to share the Gospel with her, she said, Oh, I already

know the Gospel. I read it on an orange balloon I picked up.

Testimony

Whe

n Did B

allo

on

Laun

How Do You Know North Koreans Are Reading the Fliers

and Bibles?

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How Can I Support

Launches?

Korean churches and mission teams from around the world regularly help

with balloon launches. While we cant take individuals, groups of five can

travel to South Korea and experience balloon launches first-hand.

In Korea: contact Young-Hoon Lee at ylee@seoulusa.org for more info

Elsewhere: contact Seoul USA at info@seoulusa.org for more info

go on a mission trip

write messages in nk bibles Our friends at VOM-Netherlands trace Korean letters on stickers which

are then inserted into Bibles along with messages from North Korean

Christians. Churches in South Korean can write directly in the Bibles!

Contact Young-Hoon Lee at ylee@seoulusa.org for more info

give toward nk ministry efforts Financial giving toward North Korean ministry efforts should be done as

part of ones whole life offering.

In Korea: Hana Bank 176-910014-41104; Account Holder: VOM Korea

Elsewhere: give a designated gift to North Korea by contacting VOM-US

at 1-877-337-0302

Voice of the Martyrs Korea, a Ministry of Seoul USA Hebrews 13:3 - Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.

Please Pray For

Underground University (UU) a seminary training North Korean defectors to be called and set apart for missionary service wherever the North Korean church is found.

Underground Technology (UT), where North Korean women receive training from local and global Christian leaders in the areas of leadership, study, life skills, character development, and Christian spirituality.

Balloon Launch Ministry as we send fliers containing Underground University students testimonies as well as portions of the gospel via balloon to NK.

PREQUIP as we oversee John Maxwells leadership training program with North Korean missionaries.

True Voice of the Martyrs (TVOM), our daily radio broadcast which disciples North Korean Christians via shortwave radio signal.

Bibles Unbound as we provide Bibles to people living in countries hostile to Gods Word.

Proclaimer ministry, as we partner with Faith Comes by Hearing to provide Proclaimer New Testaments for free to missionaries.

Martyrs Museum, where a display chronicling the reality of North Korea underground churches and the history of martyrdom is held.

Providing and printing VOMs bestsellers in North and South Korean editions and North Korean dialect Bibles.

Seoul USA serves as a bridge between the Korean church (both North and South) and the church in the rest of the world. We bring the gifts of the Korean church to the church in the West and the gifts of the church in the West to the Korean church. We have a particular focus on mobilizing the church around the world to support the underground church of North Korea through our voice of the Martyrs Korea ministry.

We are members of the International Christian Association, composed of independently operated Voice of the Martyrs ministries actively working to support persecuted Christians in 52 countries.

In Korea:

If you would like to receive this newsletter or volunteer with Seoul USA or learn about our resources designed to prepare churches and Christians to face persecution, contact us at:

236-1 Duck Seong Building 1 Floor, Mapo-dong Mapo-Gu, Seoul Korea

Telephone: 02-2065-0703

Email: susa@seoulusa.org

Web: vomkorea.co.kr and seoulusa.co.kr

To support this work financially from Korea:

Hana Bank: 176-910014-41104

Account Holder: VOM Korea

In the U.S.

You can financially support this work with a designated donation to North Korea via Voice of the Martyrs U.S. at 877-337-0302. American churches or Christians seeking information on resources designed to prepare themselves to face persecution personally, please contact us at 719-481-4408 or pastorfoley@seoulusa.org or visit us on the web at www.seoulusa.org