Plowshares To Swords

North Korea. We love them, yet have to struggle to understand why they do what they do. Please note that nothing in the following article is meant to be insulting. The facts recorded are known by all.

Kenneth Quinones of the Idiot's Guide to Understanding North Korea reports that North Korea had 70,000 tractors in 1979, but only enough fuel for 20,000. In 1998 NK was begging the UN for thousands more agricultural vehicles and tires for them. But it was in that same year that it was estimated that motorized farming had declined 60% over the past few years. Oxen had become the mainstay of the field.

Why less farm machines used in farming when they were available? A visit to North Korea's largest tractor plant by the UN revealed that production had been shifted to tracked military vehicles, armored personnel carriers, four-wheel drive military vehicles, like scouts. Tractor tires production had shifted to military use tires.

Abandoning its effort to become self-sufficient (juche) in farm implements, NK decided it would express its independence in the military. From '84 to '92, says Quinones, 1,000 new tanks showed up, along with 2,500 armored personnel carriers, 6,000 mobile artillery pieces and rocket launchers, and a whole lot more.

Not all of this build-up of weaponry was used for the North Korean army. Much was used to pay African and Middle Eastern nations for oil and raw materials. The cash value was something like $700 million in 1998.

So the North KOrean regime takes free food and farm machinery from the West, so that it can invest what capital it has into military products to fortify its own army and the armies of some of the West's enemies. Then it complains about how evil the West, especially America, is, literally biting the hand that feeds it and keeps it alive. What a scheme.

Strangely enough, America keeps its bitten and scarred hand held out within reach of this torment. Many are asking why.

I cannot deal with the answer to that question now, but we know that the Christ in His people is similarly reaching out His wounded hand to this torn nation, begging its leaders to repent, and encouraging His true church to hold on a little while, as He purifies His people and readies them to reign with Him on that glorious day of His return.

Soon after He comes, they will beat their tanks into plowshares once more. Until then we wait and we pray.

http://chosunhouse.com is a website I put together a few months back to get the word out to believers that they need to pray for North Korea. Just about every day I'm writing a blog featuring some news, a book, or a story of North Korea. There's a live news feed on the site, lists of resources, picture essays, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosun together!

And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. Who are you? Would love to fellowship with believers who respond on my site.