NORTH KOREA COUNTRY PROFILE
North Korea functions as a totalitarian regime, heavily influenced by a personality cult centered on the Kim dynasty, which has ruled for three generations, since the end of World War II. The sole accepted "religion" is Juche, an ideology of Marxist "self-reliance" created by the country’s founder, Kim Il-Sung. 179 Currently, Christianity is regarded as a significant threat to the state’s supremacy and the Kim family’s dominance, forcing it to operate covertly. Gauging the true number of Christians or the extent of their faith in North Korea is exceedingly difficult, however they are estimated to comprise around 0.38 percent of the population, which equates to just over 98,000 people. 180 SELECTED INCIDENTS 2022 A Christian man held in a detention center was almost beaten to death by prison guards after he was discovered to be secretly praying. Despite the assault leaving him with near-fatal injuries, the man continued to pray daily, even though his dedication to his faith resulted in guards regularly beating him with a club and kicking him. 185 APRIL 2023 Authorities in Tongam village, South Pyongan Province, arrested a group of five Christians for their religious activities and confiscated dozens of Bibles. The Christians reportedly refused to renounce their faith and disclose the Bible’s origin. 183
Christians in North Korea face extreme persecution. Anyone identified as a Christian or showing interest in Christianity or the Bible will almost certainly be considered an enemy of the state. 181 Those discovered practicing Christianity can be sent to labor camps, where they endure starvation and torture. The government enforces strict loyalty, requiring citizens to act as informants, and indoctrinates children to report on their parents. Thus, Christians in North Korea must be exceedingly discreet in their expressions and actions. If a Christian is apprehended, their entire family is subjected to punishment. 182 MAY 2023 An entire family, including a two-year- old child, was condemned to life imprisonment for possessing a Bible. 184 APRIL 2024 Among the more than 200 North Korean defectors repatriated from China in 2023, those found to have interacted with Christians while in China were sent to prison camps. Without exception, any defectors found to have read the Bible or to have been exposed to Christian doctrine were sentenced to hard labor. 186 MAY 2024 The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) Report 2024 recommended that the U.S. State Department redesignate North Korea as a Country of Particular Concern, based on the conditions of religious freedom within the country throughout 2023. 187
30 Persecuted and Forgotten?
Powered by FlippingBook