Persecution of Christians in North Korea

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Persecution of Christians in North Korea
LocationFlag of North Korea.svg  North Korea
Date1949–present
Victims50,000 to 70,000 Christians interned in prison camps [1] [2]
Perpetrator Flag of North Korea.svg Government of North Korea

The persecution of Christians in North Korea is an ongoing and systematic human rights violation in North Korea. [3] [4] [5] According to multiple resolutions which have been passed by the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, the North Korean government considers religious activities political crimes, [6] because they could challenge the personality cult of Kim Il Sung and his family. [7] [8] [9] The Workers' Party of Korea also considers religion a tool of American imperialism and the North Korean state uses this argument to justify its activities. [3]

Contents

In 2002, it was estimated that there were 12,000 Protestants, [10] and 800 Catholics in North Korea, but South Korean and international church-related groups gave considerably higher estimates, such as 406,000 Christians. [11] [12] [13]

Treatment of Christians

According to the Christian organization Open Doors, North Korea persecutes Christians more than any other country in the world. [14]

In a study of 117 North Koreans who had been affected by religious persecution which was conducted by the Korea Future Initiative, it was found that Christians made up about 80% of the people who were surveyed. [15] [3]

Imprisonment

Christian Solidarity Worldwide says that there are numerous reports of people being sent to prison camps [16] and subjected to torture and inhuman treatment because of their faith. [17] The family members of reported Christians are also said to be targeted, including children. The youngest of these recorded detainees was two years old at the time of their arrest. [18]

Open Doors estimates that 50,000-70,000 Christians are held in North Korean prison camps. [1] [2] According to the Korea Future Initiative, Christians are "disproportionally imprisoned" compared to North Koreans of other faiths. [3]

According to interviews which have been given by refugees, if the North Korean authorities discover that North Korean refugees who were deported from China have converted to Christianity, they are subjected to harsher treatment, torture, and prolonged imprisonment. [19]

Executions

According to AsiaNews, during Kim Il Sung's administration, all non-foreign Catholic priests were executed, [20] and Protestant leaders who did not renounce their faith were purged as "American spies." [21] The martyrdom of the Benedictine monks of Tokwon Abbey was documented [22] as the process of beatification was initiated for them. [23]

Public executions

There are reports of public executions of Christians, [24] [25] with a North Korean defector reporting that one Christian was publicly executed in front of a thousand people. [3] For example, Ri Hyon-ok was allegedly publicly executed in Ryongchon on June 16, 2009, for giving out Bibles, while her husband and children were deported to the Hoeryong political prison camp. [26]

Situation of churches

From 1949 to the mid-1950s, under the rule of Kim Il Sung, all churches were closed. [21] [27] [28] However, since 1988, four church buildings have been erected in Pyongyang with foreign donations: [29] one Catholic, two Protestant and one Russian Orthodox. The services are used to bring in foreign currency from foreign visitors, including South Koreans. It is claimed that the churches are solely there for propaganda purposes. [8] [30] [31] Defectors to South Korea claim that most North Koreans are unaware the churches exist. [32] According to Christian Solidarity Worldwide, it is known that underground churches are mainly located along the western region of North Korea, possibly due to its proximity to China. These underground churches operate on a very small scale or within family units. The distribution of religious materials and evangelism are carried out in very small groups, maintaining an extremely high level of secrecy. [33]

Bibles

The Bible is reported to have been banned in North Korea and several incidents have emerged in which Christians were arrested or executed for possessing and/or selling the book, [26] while other reports state that they have their own translated Bible. [34] [35] [36]

In 2014, an American citizen, Jeffrey Edward Fowle, was detained for several months for proselytism after authorities discovered him leaving a Bible behind in a public restroom during his vacation in the country. [37]

Detention of clergy

Several pastors, priests, and missionaries who have been campaigning against the persecution have been detained by the North Korean government, for periods ranging from a couple weeks to more than two years, including:

Reactions

In 2023, the country was scored zero out of 4 for religious freedom; [39] as of May 2021, Christian Solidarity Worldwide estimated that almost 200,000 people were held in prison camps, mainly due to their Christian beliefs.

In the same year, the country was ranked as the worst place in the world to be a Christian. [40]

The persecution has been condemned by a variety of different organizations and movements, including Genocide Watch, [41] the SDLP, [42] and the British Government. [42] [15] [43]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 "Death of Kim Jong-Il may not change much for North Korean Christians". Open Doors UK, December 2011. Archived from the original on March 4, 2012. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
  2. 1 2 "Christians in North Korea face torture, execution by firing squad: USCIRF report". The Christian Post. 5 September 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-09-11. Retrieved 2021-09-11.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Casper, Jayson (21 December 2020). "117 Witnesses Detail North Korea's Persecution of Christians". Christianity Today. Archived from the original on 1 September 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  4. ↑ Benedict Rogers (22 July 2021). "The World Must Not Forgot North Korea's Crimes Against Humanity". The Diplomat. Archived from the original on 5 September 2021. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  5. ↑ Harriet Sherwood (16 January 2019). "One in three Christians face persecution in Asia, report finds". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 10 June 2021. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  6. ↑ "North Korea: Harsher Policies against Border-Crossers". Human Rights Watch, March 5, 2007. 5 March 2007. Archived from the original on June 8, 2011. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
  7. ↑ "N. Korea escalates 'cult of Kim' to counter West's influence". The Christian Science Monitor, January 3, 2007. 3 January 2007. Archived from the original on January 8, 2012. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
  8. 1 2 "Eyewitness: Christianity in North Korea". BBC . 2002-01-06. Retrieved 2021-11-01.
  9. ↑ "North Korea". www.persecution.com. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
  10. ↑ Caroline Gluck (January 6, 2002). "Eyewitness: Christianity in North Korea". BBC. Archived from the original on December 9, 2003. Retrieved August 4, 2012.
  11. ↑ Alton, 2013. p. 79. As of 2005 the agency "Religious Intelligence UK" estimated 3,846,000 believers of Korean shamanism, 3,245,000 Chondoists, 1,082,888 Buddhists, 406,000 Christians, and the rest non-believers.
  12. ↑ Chryssides, Geaves. 2007. p. 110
  13. ↑ Association of Religion Data Archives: North Korea: Religious Adherents, 2010 Archived 2018-11-16 at the Wayback Machine . Data from the World Christian Database.
  14. ↑ "World Watch List 2012: North Korea No. 1 Persecutor of Christians for 10th Straight Year". Open Doors, January 2, 2012. Archived from the original on January 14, 2012. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
  15. 1 2 "An exceptional report of Korea Future Initiative about religious persecution | IIRF". www.iirf.eu. Archived from the original on 2022-08-21. Retrieved 2021-11-01.
  16. ↑ "North Korea: A case to answer, a call to act" (PDF). Christian Solidarity Worldwide, 2007. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 21, 2013. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
  17. ↑ "50,000 Christians imprisoned in North Korea". Vatican Radio, April 15, 2011. Archived from the original on September 8, 2012. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
  18. ↑ "North Korea". United States Department of State 2022. Retrieved 2023-08-28.
  19. ↑ "A prison without bars, Eyewitness accounts of the persecution of members of religious groups and repatriated refugees (p. 27–31)" (PDF). U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, March 2008. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 27, 2014. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
  20. ↑ "N. Korea martyrs slated for sainthood". Religion and Spirituality, May 28, 2007. Archived from the original on March 14, 2013. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
  21. 1 2 Andrei Lankov (March 16, 2005). "North Korea's missionary position". Asia Times. Archived from the original on March 18, 2005. Retrieved August 4, 2012.
  22. ↑ "Die Märtyrer von Tokwon: Historical Preliminary Notes". Missionsbenediktiner. Archived from the original on September 22, 2013. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
  23. ↑ "North Korean Martyrs, the first process for beatification gets underway". Asia News, May 25, 2007. Archived from the original on September 25, 2012. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
  24. ↑ "North Korea crushing churches". National Post Canada, November 18, 2005. Archived from the original on February 15, 2012. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
  25. ↑ "New Reports Tell of Executions, Torture of Christians in North Korea". Christian Today, May 27, 2005. 27 November 2005. Archived from the original on August 13, 2012. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
  26. 1 2 "North Korea executes woman for giving out bibles". New York Post, July 24, 2009. 24 July 2009. Archived from the original on September 20, 2021. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
  27. ↑ "Destroyed Church in Wonsan Vicinity". Willibroard's Gallery. Archived from the original on July 18, 2012. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
  28. ↑ "First Church Building Opened in Communist North Korea". The Forerunner, December 2007. 22 December 2007. Archived from the original on January 29, 2012. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
  29. ↑ "Giving Out Bibles Leads to Executions". Washington Times, December 8, 2006. Archived from the original on December 26, 2014. Retrieved October 7, 2014.
  30. ↑ "Bongsu Church in Pyongyang a Fraud, Only for False Propagation of Freedom of Religion". Daily NK, August 2, 2005. 2 August 2005. Archived from the original on January 22, 2014. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
  31. ↑ "Remembering North Korea's Christian martyrs". BBC News . 2016-12-26. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
  32. ↑ "North Korea". United States Department of State 2020. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
  33. ↑ Kim, Shin ui (11 September 2024). ""北, 종교 자유와 인권 악화 불구… 지하교회와 성경 요청 증가"" [Despite the worsening of religious freedom and human rights in North Korea, requests for underground churches and Bibles are increasing.]. Christian Today (in Korean). Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  34. ↑ "VOM Korea uses Bibles translated by the North Korean government". Mission Network News. June 24, 2021.
  35. ↑ Tertitskiy, Fyodor (6 June 2016). "The good things in North Korea: Taking a moment to recognize good art, good scholarship and good people". NK News.
  36. ↑ Dillmuth, Timothy (14 May 2014). "Where Did Our North Korean Bible Translation Come From?". Do the Word.
  37. ↑ "U.S. Tourist Was Detained In North Korea For Leaving Bible In A Bathroom". HuffPost . 2014-08-02. Retrieved 2021-11-01.
  38. ↑ "N Korea jails Canadian pastor for life". BBC News . Retrieved 2021-11-01.
  39. ↑ Freedom House website, retrieved 2023-08-08
  40. ↑ "Open Doors website, retrieved 2023-08-08". Archived from the original on 2023-01-03. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  41. ↑ "North Korea". Genocide Watch . Retrieved 2021-11-01.
  42. 1 2 "Freedom of religious belief part one". BBC Democracy Live. 2014-03-25. Retrieved 2021-11-01.
  43. ↑ "Freedom of religious belief part two". BBC Democracy Live. 2014-03-26. Retrieved 2021-11-01.
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