In a rare and hopeful development from North Korea, a Christian church leader from China has been released after spending more than a decade behind bars for his faith and humanitarian work.

Deacon Jang—also known by his Chinese name, Zhang Wen Si—is an ethnic Korean Chinese citizen from Changbai, a town on the Chinese side of the North Korea border. Before his arrest, he was widely known for helping North Koreans who crossed into China in desperate search of food, medicine, and temporary shelter. Alongside humanitarian aid, Jang also shared his Christian faith with those who returned repeatedly for support and teaching.

Jang was last seen in November 2014. After receiving phone calls from North Koreans requesting assistance, he went to meet them near the border river but never returned. He was abducted from Chinese territory and taken into North Korea, where he later disappeared into the country’s prison system.

North Korean authorities eventually sentenced him to 15 years in prison, accusing him of “defaming the regime” and “attempting to incite subversion”—charges closely tied to his Christian outreach among North Koreans. His case drew international concern, especially following the 2016 killing of Pastor Han Chung-Ryeol, another border minister believed to have been targeted by North Korean agents.

According to advocacy group Prisoner Alert, Deacon Jang was unexpectedly released on 5 November 2025. No official explanation was given. His release is highly unusual, as detainees imprisoned for religious reasons—particularly those with foreign ties—are rarely freed early or returned to their home countries.

Local sources report that Jang has reunited with his family in China but is mentally and physically exhausted after years of harsh imprisonment.

Simon Lee, Open Doors’ coordinator for ministry among North Koreans, expressed deep gratitude for Jang’s survival. “Not everyone survives imprisonment in North Korea,” Lee said, emphasizing the extreme risks faced by those who help North Koreans or share the Christian faith. He added that North Korean spies actively operate in China to identify and dismantle networks assisting defectors.

Despite Jang’s release, many believers remain imprisoned. Three South Korean missionaries—Kim Jung-wook, Kim Kook-kie, and Choi Chun-gil—are still believed to be detained in North Korea, along with three North Koreans who later became South Korean citizens. All are reportedly held without due process, and their conditions remain unknown.

Open Doors estimates that 50,000 to 70,000 Christians are currently imprisoned across North Korea’s labor camps, detention centers, and isolated villages. Many were arrested simply for owning a Bible, meeting secretly for worship, or having contact with Christians outside the country. Conditions in these facilities are widely described as brutal and often deadly.

“The release of Deacon Jang must give a boost to our prayers,” Lee said. “We never thought he would survive his sentence, yet he has returned home. Let us pray that many more imprisoned believers will also be set free.”

Names have been changed for security reasons.