In this brutally hostile nation, Christians have no freedom to worship.
bottom"Step by step, I realise how the Holy Spirit leads my life. I decide to put all things onto God’s hands."
– Yong-Gi*
North Korea is a brutally hostile place for Christians. If discovered by the authorities, believers are either sent to labour camps as political prisoners where the conditions are atrocious, or killed on the spot – and their families will share their fate as well.
Christians have absolutely no freedom. It is almost impossible for believers to gather or meet to worship. Those who dare to meet must do so in utmost secrecy – and at enormous risk.
A report issued in 2022 said that Christians are particularly targeted and exposed to torture in North Korean prisons. Detention periods and interrogations are longer and more intense.
The reason for such extreme persecution is that Christianity is seen as a particular threat to the dictatorial ideology and governance of the country’s barbaric regime. Christians are viewed as enemies of both the leadership and society in general.
Christians across North Korea are equally susceptible to extreme persecution at the hands of the authoritarian state. Insurgency is unthinkable and the regime keeps a watchful eye on all citizens. The border with China is now more closely monitored, making it even more difficult for citizens to escape.
Christians interred in prison camps and total control zones can be seen as facing the most persecution, but it is not easy to obtain up-to-date information from these camps.
Across the year, several dozen North Korean believers from several underground churches were discovered and executed. More than 100 members of their families were also said to have been rounded up and sent to labour camps.
These reports show that life has got even harder for Christians. The recently introduced ‘anti-reactionary thought law’ makes it clear that being a Christian or possessing a Bible is a serious crime and will be severely punished – coinciding with a rise in incidents of violence.
– That the Holy Spirit will pour peace and strength into believers held in labour camps.
– That those who gather in secret will be protected from the eyes of the authorities.
– That the North Korean regime will allow the country to be helped by the wider world.
