Persecution of Christians in North Korea explained

Persecution of Christians in North Korea
Date:1950s–present
Partof:the Persecution of Christians
Victims:Christians
Perpetrator: Government of North Korea

The persecution of Christians in North Korea is an ongoing and systematic human rights violation in North Korea.[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] 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,[7] because they could challenge the personality cult of Kim Il Sung and his family.[8] [9] [10] 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.

In 2002, it was estimated that there were 12,000 Protestants,[11] and 800 Catholics in North Korea, but South Korean and international church-related groups gave considerably higher estimates, such as 406,000 Christians.[12] [13] [14]

Treatment of Christians

According to the Christian organization Open Doors, North Korea persecutes Christians more than any other country in the world.[15]

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.[16]

Imprisonment

Christian Solidarity Worldwide says that there are numerous reports of people being sent to prison camps[17] and subjected to torture and inhuman treatment because of their faith.[18] 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.[19]

Open Doors estimates that 50,000-70,000 Christians are held in North Korean prison camps.[20] [21] According to the Korea Future Initiative, Christians are "disproportionally imprisoned" compared to North Koreans of other faiths.

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.[22]

Executions

According to AsiaNews, during Kim Il Sung's administration, all non-foreign Catholic priests were executed,[23] and Protestant leaders who did not renounce their faith were purged as "American spies." The martyrdom of the Benedictine monks of Tokwon Abbey was documented[24] as the process of beatification was initiated for them.[25]

Public executions

There are reports of public executions of Christians,[26] [27] with a North Korean defector reporting that one Christian was publicly executed in front of a thousand people. 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.[28]

Situation of churches

From 1949 to the mid-1950s, under the rule of Kim Il Sung, all churches were closed.[29] [30] [31] However, since 1988, four church buildings have been erected in Pyongyang with foreign donations:[32] 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.[33] [34] Defectors to South Korea claim that most North Koreans are unaware the churches exist.[35]

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, while other reports state that they have their own translated Bible.[36] [37] [38]

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.[39]

Detention of clergy

See also: List of foreign nationals detained in North Korea. 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;[41] 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.[42]

The persecution has been condemned by a variety of different organizations and movements, including Genocide Watch,[43] the SDLP,[44] and the British Government.[16] [45]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Casper . Jayson . 117 Witnesses Detail North Korea's Persecution of Christians . Christianity Today . 1 September 2021 . 21 December 2020 . 1 September 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210901194615/https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2020/december/north-korea-persecution-christians-human-rights-report-kfi.html . live .
  2. Web site: The World Must Not Forgot North Korea's Crimes Against Humanity . The Diplomat . 22 July 2021 . 5 September 2021 . Benedict Rogers . 5 September 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210905181059/https://thediplomat.com/2021/07/the-world-must-not-forgot-north-koreas-crimes-against-humanity/ . live .
  3. Web site: One in three Christians face persecution in Asia, report finds . The Guardian . 16 January 2019 . 5 September 2021 . Harriet Sherwood . 10 June 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210610043519/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/16/one-in-three-christians-face-persecution-in-asia-report-finds . live .
  4. Web site: Christian persecution reached record high in 2015, report says . CNN . 17 January 2015 . 5 September 2021 . William J. Cadigan . 5 September 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210905181059/https://edition.cnn.com/2016/01/17/world/christian-persecution-2015/index.html . live .
  5. Web site: Dying for Christianity: millions at risk amid rise in persecution across the globe . The Guardian . 27 July 2015 . 5 September 2021 . Harriet Sherwood . 8 February 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190208063023/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/27/dying-for-christianity-millions-at-risk-amid-rise-in-persecution-across-the-globe . live .
  6. Web site: North Korea 'executes Christians' . Andre Vornic . BBC . 24 July 2009 . 6 September 2021 . 5 September 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210905210327/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8167644.stm . live .
  7. Web site: North Korea: Harsher Policies against Border-Crossers . Human Rights Watch, March 5, 2007 . 5 March 2007 . January 11, 2012 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20110608064052/http://www.hrw.org/en/node/79004/section/2 . June 8, 2011.
  8. N. Korea escalates 'cult of Kim' to counter West's influence . The Christian Science Monitor, January 3, 2007 . 3 January 2007 . January 11, 2012 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20120108090310/http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0103/p01s04-woap.html . January 8, 2012 .
  9. News: 2002-01-06. Eyewitness: Christianity in North Korea. en-GB. BBC. 2021-11-01.
  10. Web site: North Korea. 2022-01-28. www.persecution.com.
  11. News: Eyewitness: Christianity in North Korea . Caroline Gluck . BBC . January 6, 2002 . August 4, 2012 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20031209210139/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/1744847.stm . December 9, 2003 .
  12. 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.
  13. Chryssides, Geaves. 2007. p. 110
  14. Association of Religion Data Archives: North Korea: Religious Adherents, 2010 . Data from the World Christian Database.
  15. Web site: World Watch List 2012: North Korea No. 1 Persecutor of Christians for 10th Straight Year . Open Doors, January 2, 2012 . January 11, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120114071906/http://www.opendoorsusa.org/press/press-release/2012/January/Islamic-Majority-Countries-Top-Open-Doors-2012-World-Watch-List . January 14, 2012.
  16. Web site: An exceptional report of Korea Future Initiative about religious persecution IIRF. 2021-11-01. www.iirf.eu. 2022-08-21. https://web.archive.org/web/20220821070026/https://www.iirf.eu/news/other-news/an-exceptional-report-of-korea-future-initiative-about-religious-persecution/. dead.
  17. Web site: North Korea: A case to answer, a call to act . Christian Solidarity Worldwide, 2007 . January 11, 2012 . October 21, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131021204741/http://docs-eu.livesiteadmin.com/c8880e0f-f6ed-4585-8f09-4e4b6d11e698/north-korea-a-case-to-answer-a-call-to-act.pdf . live .
  18. Web site: 50,000 Christians imprisoned in North Korea . Vatican Radio, April 15, 2011 . https://archive.today/20120908034043/http://www.radiovaticana.org/IN2/articolo.asp?c=479048 . September 8, 2012 . January 11, 2012 .
  19. Web site: North Korea. 2023-08-28. United States Department of State 2022. en-US.
  20. Web site: Death of Kim Jong-Il may not change much for North Korean Christians . Open Doors UK, December 2011 . January 11, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120304015959/http://www.opendoorsuk.org/news/stories/kim_jong_il.php . March 4, 2012.
  21. Web site: Christians in North Korea face torture, execution by firing squad: USCIRF report. 2021-09-11. The Christian Post. 5 September 2021 . en-US. 2021-09-11. https://web.archive.org/web/20210911154838/https://www.christianpost.com/news/north-korean-christians-face-torture-execution-by-firing-squad.html. live.
  22. Web site: A prison without bars, Eyewitness accounts of the persecution of members of religious groups and repatriated refugees (p. 27–31) . U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, March 2008 . January 11, 2012 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20140227175933/http://northkoreanchristians.com/prisonwithoutbars.pdf . February 27, 2014 .
  23. Web site: N. Korea martyrs slated for sainthood . Religion and Spirituality, May 28, 2007 . January 10, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130314041217/http://www.religionandspirituality.com/view/post/11803293318500/N_Korea_martyrs_slated_for_sainthood/ . March 14, 2013.
  24. Web site: Die Märtyrer von Tokwon: Historical Preliminary Notes . Missionsbenediktiner . January 10, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130922223517/http://www.missionsbenediktiner.de/seligsprechung/cms/kategorie/index.php?kategorieid=59&parentid=59&languageid=1 . September 22, 2013 .
  25. Web site: North Korean Martyrs, the first process for beatification gets underway . Asia News, May 25, 2007 . January 10, 2012 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20120925222950/http://www.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&art=9368 . September 25, 2012.
  26. Web site: North Korea crushing churches . National Post Canada, November 18, 2005 . January 11, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120215021406/http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=5af3e8a1-30ed-4726-9643-e04eec4e3879 . February 15, 2012.
  27. Web site: New Reports Tell of Executions, Torture of Christians in North Korea . Christian Today, May 27, 2005 . 27 November 2005 . January 11, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120813102840/http://www.christiantoday.com/article/new.reports.tell.of.executions.torture.of.christians.in.north.korea/4623-2.htm . August 13, 2012.
  28. Web site: North Korea executes woman for giving out bibles . New York Post, July 24, 2009 . 24 July 2009 . January 11, 2012 . September 20, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210920233928/https://nypost.com/2009/07/24/north-korea-executes-woman-for-giving-out-bibles/ . live.
  29. News: North Korea's missionary position . https://web.archive.org/web/20050318052905/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Korea/GC16Dg03.html . unfit . March 18, 2005 . Andrei Lankov . Asia Times . March 16, 2005 . August 4, 2012.
  30. Web site: Destroyed Church in Wonsan Vicinity . Willibroard's Gallery . July 18, 2012 . https://archive.today/20120718033834/http://picasaweb.google.com/WillibrordDriever/TokwonAbteikircheNachDerZerstorung%235318714733524560162 . January 10, 2012 .
  31. Web site: First Church Building Opened in Communist North Korea . The Forerunner, December 2007 . 22 December 2007 . January 10, 2012 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20120129115833/http://www.forerunner.com/forerunner/X0809_Church_opened_North_.html . January 29, 2012 .
  32. Web site: Giving Out Bibles Leads to Executions . Washington Times, December 8, 2006 . October 7, 2014 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20141226184514/http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jul/25/report-giving-out-bibles-led-to-execution/ . December 26, 2014 .
  33. Web site: Bongsu Church in Pyongyang a Fraud, Only for False Propagation of Freedom of Religion . Daily NK, August 2, 2005 . 2 August 2005 . January 11, 2012 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20140122133545/http://www.dailynk.com/english/read.php?cataId=nk01600&num=237 . January 22, 2014 .
  34. News: 2016-12-26. Remembering North Korea's Christian martyrs. en-GB. BBC News. 2021-10-19.
  35. Web site: North Korea. 2022-01-28. United States Department of State 2020. en-US.
  36. Web site: VOM Korea uses Bibles translated by the North Korean government. June 24, 2021. Mission Network News.
  37. News: The good things in North Korea: Taking a moment to recognize good art, good scholarship and good people. Fyodor. Tertitskiy. NK News. 6 June 2016.
  38. Web site: Where Did Our North Korean Bible Translation Come From?. Timothy. Dillmuth. Do the Word. 14 May 2014.
  39. Web site: 2014-08-02. U.S. Tourist Was Detained In North Korea For Leaving Bible In A Bathroom. 2021-11-01. HuffPost. en.
  40. News: N Korea jails Canadian pastor for life. en-GB. BBC News. 2021-11-01.
  41. https://freedomhouse.org/country/north-korea/freedom-world/2022 Freedom House website, retrieved 2023-08-08
  42. https://www.opendoorsuk.org/persecution/world-watch-list/north-korea/ Open Doors website, retrieved 2023-08-08
  43. Web site: North Korea. 2021-11-01. Genocide Watch. en.
  44. News: 2014-03-25. Freedom of religious belief part one. en-GB. BBC Democracy Live. 2021-11-01.
  45. News: 2014-03-26. Freedom of religious belief part two. en-GB. BBC Democracy Live. 2021-11-01.

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