Religious Persecution in North Korea

The Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), the report issued by the United Nations Human Rights Council, has a section dealing with “Religious Persecution” that also gives the history of Christianity in the isolated Communist country, where churches had thrived before the events of 1950-1953 civil war that left it a divided land.

As of 1950, Christian Solidarity Worldwide quoted an estimate of more than 28 percent of Korea’s population that had a religious belief. The 1950 Yearbook of the Workers’ Party of Korea placed the figure at almost 24 per cent.

The Korean War and pre-Kim Il Sung-ism movement periods have been described as the most vicious in the persecution of religious believers. “Religious people were killed, exiled and imprisoned. Christians were said to have been targeted the most as the movement of Christianity was much more organized than the other religions and because of its supposed connection with the USA.”

[Ecumenical News]

This entry was posted in DPRK Government, Uncategorized by Grant Montgomery.