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Special Report
Religious Persecution in North Korea
The Kim regime is more than confrontational — it remains brutally repressive and cruel.
(Page 2 of 3)
Thus, the North Korean constitution notwithstanding, the Kim government does not recognize freedom of conscience, worship, or expression. Explain Yoon and Han: “even this restricted and nominal freedom cannot be enjoyed by all people, but only when the regime deems it necessary to use it as a policy tool for those among the supporters and participants of the socialist revolution.”
Although Pyongyang’s treatment of religion has been unremittingly hostile, North Korean policy has evolved over time. Restrictions first appeared on religious freedom in 1945 after the Soviet Union occupied the northern half of the peninsula, until then a Japanese colony.
Once the DPRK was established in 1948, “the regime suppressed religious freedom by arousing the sense of struggle against anti-revolutionary elements and spreading anti-religious sentiments far and wide to strengthen the socialist revolutionary force,” write Yoon and Han. After the Korean War, the North attempted to eradicate religion: “religious organizations were completely dismantled in the wake of relentless religious suppression, leaving no room for self-regulating religious activities or collective resistance.”
Pyongyang shifted policy again in the 1970s, attempting to improve its international image by publicly guaranteeing religious freedom. Explain Yoon and Han: “The policy reached its climax in 1988, bringing perfunctory and even qualitative changes to various religions.” Since then increased cross-border traffic has expanded opportunities for evangelism, leading the Kim government to target returned refugees who converted or had contact with foreign missionaries.
While hostile to religion, the DPRK does understand the value of using and manipulating foreign believers. For instance, note Yoon and Han, “the regime has realized that a claim about the nonexistence of religion in the North could never be a matter of pride, but would only make it a laughingstock or a target of criticism in the international community.” Moreover, religious groups have been in the forefront of providing humanitarian aid.
In response, Yoon and Han explain: “North Korea has adopted a so-called ‘parallel policy’ toward religion, whereby it takes advantage of religion politically, but in fact suppresses it. The ‘parallel policy’ is a dual policy through which the regime tries to appear in the international community as if it is tolerating religion and guaranteeing religious freedom, while implementing a policy of suppressing religion internally. It is evident that the regime is only taking advantage of religion politically to seek practical gains, whilst in reality it is destroying the very basis of religion in the North by getting rid of religious people and banning activities by religious organizations.”
The authors’ conclusion reflects the result of interviews with nearly 2000 defectors and refugees. The most important question: Can North Koreans freely conduct religious activities? No, said 99.7 percent of those who responded.
Add Yoon and Han: “This shows that it is nearly impossible to carry out ordinary religious activities there, although very limited clandestine religious activities are done and perfunctory religious activities are performed at North Korean religious facilities for special purposes. It is worthwhile to note that defectors, who fled the North before 1997, and those, who had escaped from 1997 until 2008, gave nearly identical answers. This also proves that the North has never tolerated religious activities.”
Only .6 percent of respondents actually had visited a legal worship facility. Three churches operate under government control in Pyongyang — I attended one when I visited the DPRK in 1992. The regime also claims that legal house churches exist in the provinces.
However, 98.6 percent of those polled said they knew of no legal facilities and none of the 1.4 percent who said yes “had either seen such home churches with their own eyes or participated in religious activities at such places,” say Yoon and Han. Still, since everyone who believed such churches to exist had fled the North after 1997, the authors believe further research is necessary to determine if some legal house churches are open.
Only 1.1 percent of respondents had participated in illegal activities. The percentages of those who had witnessed clandestine meetings and seen a Bible were 4.5 percent and 3.2 percent, respectively. All of these numbers are generally, but irregularly, up over the last decade.
Unfortunately, 99.1 percent of respondents — and 100 percent of those who defected in 2008 — said that participants in the underground church risk punishment. Report Yoon and Han: “According to the outcome of an intensive survey on the level of punishment against those involved in religious activities, only 2.9 percent of those arrested are sent to labor training camps. By contrast, 14.9 percent are sent to prisons and an astonishing 81.4 percent to political prisons camps, the harshest level of punishment in North Korean society. This testifies how severely the regime punishes those involved in religious activities.”
Claims of executions are harder to confirm. The State Department reported: “Refugees and defectors continued to say they witnessed the arrest and possible execution of underground Christian church members by the government in prior years. Due to the country’s inaccessibility and the inability to gain timely information, the continuation of this activity during the reporting period remained difficult to verify.”
However, many believers have died while imprisoned. In fact, it is nearly impossible to overestimate the harshness of punishments inflicted on North Koreans who believe in any deity other than the Kims.
Explain Yoon and Han: “Those arrested for their involvement in religious activities faced a very harsh punishment or serious consequences, including detention, death, disappearance, restriction on movement, or deportation. Nonetheless, such punishment or consequences only reflect the situation which witnesses or testifiers saw with their own eyes. So the actual punishment or consequences could have been much harsher.”
About the Author
Doug Bandow is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute. A former Special Assistant to President Ronald Reagan, he is the author and editor of several books, including The Politics of Plunder: Misgovernment in Washington (Transaction).
Letter to the Editor View all comments (25) | Leave a comment
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Harry| 12.9.10 @ 6:44AM
I don't believe we should talk of the World Council of Churches as being "taken in". This suggests they are merely well-intentioned and naieve. Mark Tooley's excellent October article referred to and a host of other evidence indicates they are not mistaken, just deliberately wicked.
ACynic| 12.9.10 @ 9:45AM
You are obviously misinformed or simply a CIA lackey; NK is simply responding to US aggresssion. If not for the imperialistic, racist, dog-eat-dog darwinian capitalistic USA, NK would not even need an army. Their beloved glorious leader, Kim Jong , is revered by his people. The only reason NK has an army is to keep out CIA operatives from sneaking into that peaceful land.
As for religious persecution, well, the CIA is fomenting trouble in that land by funding Christian groups who wish to install a right wing, CIA dominated Christian theocracy in that peaceful land.
Clearly, you have been eating excessive quantities of LSD tainted kimchi. If you think I am crazy, just google Jimmy Carter's comments re: NK.
daddio| 12.9.10 @ 10:24AM
umm, yeah...
Richard Baker| 12.9.10 @ 10:23AM
ACynic:
Jimmy Carter as a source? It's not just the North Koreans who are crazy. Either that or your comments are satire.
Natural Born Texican| 12.9.10 @ 11:13AM
It is the complaicency of believers in the God of the Bible (my Father God!) that will pay the ultimate price. Turning a blind eye to the persecution and inhuman treatment to put a "happy" face on the atrocities being committed against believers ANYWHERE in this world is NOT acceptable.
It will all be sorted out in the end......but not by any committee or organization or government.
The God of Heaven will take care of that!!!!!!!!
Jesus Is!!!!
trish| 12.9.10 @ 8:58PM
......is Lord!!! Jesus is!
Margie| 12.10.10 @ 11:50AM
That is correct!
As the words written in Handel's Messiah magnificently proclaim from the Scriptures:
"For to us a child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder, and His Name will be called "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Of the increase of His government and of peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David, and over His Kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and for evermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this." Is. 9:6 & 7.
It is fitting and worthy of full acceptance that we remember these facts at Christmas time. Some of us look to remember them daily, but now is a good time as well. Jesus is Lord, He is risen indeed and is coming again as a plan for the fulness of what we call time. It is amazing and true:
"In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His Grace which He lavished upon us. For He has made known to us in all wisdom and insight the mystery of His will, according to His purpose which He set forth in Christ as a plan for the fulness of time, to unite all things in Him, things in Heaven and things on earth." Eph. 1:7-10.
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." Jn. 3:16.
bk| 12.9.10 @ 11:54AM
Korea is surrounded by big world power nations, Russia, China, Japan, and U.S. The problem is that none of these nations don't want North Korea to collapse and South and North Korea become united. China does not want to have border with South Korea which is an U.S. ally. Japan does not want the unification because Korea will grow economically even faster after the unification. Remember North Korea has a lot of natural resources and very cheap labor. South Korea has one of the best technology. When these two countries become unified, Korea will be a super power country and other countries don't like that. U.S. also does not support the unification in the Korean peninsula because after the unification U.S. will be pressured to leave the country. Currently South Korea is the number one buyer of U.S. arms and South Korea spends billions of dollars to pay for operation of U.S. military there. After the unification, Koreans will not need presence of U.S. military and U.S. does not want to leave Korea because U.S. wants to use military bases in Korea in case they need to attack China someday. U.S. wants to keep their influences in east asia by keeping military stations in Korea. So, until these 4 big countries all agree and allow the unification, Korea will be remained divided despite of both South and North Korean's wish for unification. Until then, Christians in North Korea will continue to suffer from persecution. I hope all these four evil neighbor countries to turn to God soon so that North and South Korea can be united. Americans, please turn to God and I hope this web site can help you repent your sins. christforamericans.com
GavInTucson| 12.10.10 @ 2:57AM
Actually, per the Wiki-leaks document release, China no longer has any real use for North Korea and would prefer to see a unified peninsula under South Korean control.
North Korea has become the petulant, whining child in the movie theater that the rest of the audience wants to silence (including China).
South Korea, on the other hand, is a willing and docile trading partner. Sadly, sort of like us these days.
T H Huxley| 12.10.10 @ 9:18PM
North Korea has artillery trained on Seoul, and Kim Kong-Il promises to level Seoul if anyone takes military action. This may be part of the reason that South Korea is "docile". I don't have the military knowledge to know whether this threat has any substance.
ann| 12.9.10 @ 12:06PM
How can we be expected to pray for the religious freedom of others when religious freedom in American is slowly eroding away. When Christians are afraid to say Merry Christmas, when nativity scenes are torn down, when the word God is removed from official documents, it seems that slowly but surely certain religions in this country are under seige. It seems the only religion shown any respect in the US is Islam.
Intelligent Design| 12.9.10 @ 1:06PM
American citizens should recognize that Islam is subversive to our Constitution. For example, Saudi Arabia forbids the practice of any "religion" other than Islam. Islam is about the merger of church and state to form a totalitarian dictatorship. Islam, Nazism, North Korean communism, and the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics have a lot in common. They consume the whole person including human rights.
Red Phillips | 12.9.10 @ 12:57PM
I don't doubt any of this, but none of this should be taken to mean that the US should "liberate" North Korea or that we have any responsibility to protect South Korea militarily. I am sure Mr. Bandow would agree because he has written as much here before.
Alan Brooks| 12.9.10 @ 3:21PM
Maybe you are correct, Red: perhaps we should have limited ourselves to overthrowing that clap-ridden witch the Confederacy in 1865.
Red Phillips | 12.9.10 @ 6:39PM
"overthrowing"
Well, given your view of history, how could "we" have "overthrown" the Confederacy (as opposed to quelling insurrection)? Does this mean you concede that the Southern States actually did secede? Only a seperate entity can be overthrown.
Alan Brooks| 12.9.10 @ 8:19PM
If they had merely staged an insurrection-- a guerrilla war to wear the North out-- then you would be correct; but they formed the Confederate States of America, and could be overthrown.
And West Virginia seceded from the CSA: were W. Virginians insurrectionists opposed to the CSA? that's another issue.
Red Phillips | 12.9.10 @ 8:24PM
"but they formed the Confederate States of America"
Exactly. Thanks for making my point. The southern states seceded despite Lincoln and the Unionists bloviating that they couldn't.
Alan Brooks| 12.9.10 @ 6:21PM
TAS readers, please pay attention to me!
Alan Brooks| 12.9.10 @ 8:20PM
Tim*,
pay attention to your own self and use your own name on blogs.
Alan Brooks| 12.9.10 @ 8:44PM
Here I am. Here I am. Listen to me. I've got something to say. I am woman hear me roar.
Alan Brooks| 12.9.10 @ 10:56PM
Tim* Belushi:
"seven years of Kindergarten wasted."
Alan Brooks| 12.9.10 @ 10:59PM
"The southern states seceded despite Lincoln and the Unionists bloviating that they couldn't."
But the south said W. Virginia couldn't secede from the CSA.
Alan Brooks| 12.10.10 @ 12:54AM
... besides, why would Southerners call themselves
the CSA if they were legit? Why was there not a new name demonstrating independence? the Dixie Federation, say?
Sounds like the whole enterprise was doomed from the start.