Open Doors, the Christian organization dedicated to supporting persecuted Christians worldwide, announced on Friday that they had confirmed that two Christian North Koreans have recently died.

One of the North Koreans had become interested in Christianity on one of many visits to China. After receiving training and studying the Bible, he returned to North Korea. An Open Doors worker said he had been shot at the border when he was on his way back to China to study and learn more about the Bible.

The other North Korean had also studied the Bible in China. After returning to North Korea, his secret faith was discovered. The authorities sent him to prison where he eventually died. An Open Doors worker said that the man was reportedly heavily tortured in the prison camp.

The announcement of the two deaths comes a matter of days after Open Doors published their annual "World Watch List." The World Watch List reports on persecution of Christians around the globe. North Korea has been ranked as the worst persecutor of Christians in the report for the last 11 years.

Source: Open Doors