Freedom of religion in North Korea

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Freedom of religion in North Korea is nearly non-existent: it is officially an atheist state,[1][2] and government policy continues to interfere with individual's ability to practice a religion, even though the Constitution guarantees "freedom of religious beliefs."[3] The regime continues to repress the religious activities of unauthorized religious groups. Recent refugee, defector, missionary, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) reports indicate that religious persons engaging in proselytizing in the country, those who have ties to overseas evangelical groups operating across the border in the People's Republic of China, and specifically, those repatriated from China and found to have been in contact with foreigners or missionaries, have been arrested and subjected to harsh penalties. Refugees and defectors continued to allege that they witnessed the arrests and execution of members of underground Christian churches by the regime in prior years. Due to the country's inaccessibility and the inability to gain timely information, this activity remains difficult to verify.[4]

Religion in North Korea[edit]

Main article: Religion in North Korea

Traditionally, religion in North Korea primarily consisted of Buddhism and Confucianism and to a lesser extent Shamanism. Since the arrival of Northern and Eastern Europeans in the 18th century, there is also a Christian minority. Syncretic Chondogyo emerged more recently.

Status of religious freedom[edit]

North Korea sees organised religious activity, except that which is supervised by officially recognized groups linked to the Government, as a potential pretext to challenging the leadership and social order.[3][5] Religion many times is practiced in secret.[6]

The government deals harshly with all opponents,[4] and those engaged in unsanctioned religious activities often face the harshest of treatment. In particular, those of Christian faith are persecuted the most,[6] and North Korea is ranked as the worst country in the world in terms of Christian persecution by international Catholic aid organization Aid to the Church in Need.[7]

As of 2012, an estimated 150,000 to 200,000 persons are believed to be held in political prison camps (Kwalliso) which are located in remote areas of North Korea,[8] many for religious and political reasons.[9] The number of Christians in prison camps is estimated to be in the tens of thousands.[6] Family members of believers are considered guilty by association and sent to labor camps or prisons.[6]

Punishable religious activities include propagating religion, possessing religious items, praying, singing hymns, and having contact with religious persons.[6][better source needed]

In March 2006, the Government reportedly sentenced Son Jong-nam to death for espionage. However, some NGOs claimed that the sentence against Son was based on his contacts with Christian groups in China, his proselytizing activities, and his alleged sharing of information with his brother in South Korea. Son's brother reported that information indicated that Son was alive as of spring 2007. Because the country effectively bars outside observers from investigating such reports, it was not possible to verify the Government's claims about Son Jong-nam's activities or determine whether he had been executed.[4] A fellow inmate of the Pyongyang prison where Son was held states that he died there in December 2008.[10] In 2013, the South Korean newspaper JoongAng Ilbo reported that North Koreans in Wonsan discovered in possession of a Bible were among a group of 80 North Koreans killed in a wave of mass executions in the country. Others in the group were executed for other "relatively light transgressions such as watching South Korean movies or distributing pornography."[11] However, others have testified in interviews that North Korean citizens have full rights to own and use religious texts and worship at church, although there may not be many young believers.[12]

According to Alejandro Cao de Benós, Special Delegate of North Korea's Committee for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries, the government allows only religions that are considered "traditional" from Korea, such as Christianism, Buddhism or Cheondoism.[13]

Religion in politics[edit]

Historically, there has only been two openly religious parties at the Supreme People's Assembly, the former Korea Buddhist Federation[14] and the current Chondoist Chongu Party, which has been in the Assembly since 1948.[15][16] There are other religious organization such as the Korean Christian Federation,[17] founded by Christians that joined the communist administration during the division of Korea, [18][19] or the North Korean Council of Religionists.[20][21][22]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ World and Its Peoples: Eastern and Southern Asia. Marshall Cavendish. September 2007. ISBN 9780761476313. Retrieved 2011-03-05. North Korea is officially an atheist state in which almost the entire population is nonreligious.
  2. ^ The State of Religion Atlas. Simon & Schuster. 1993. Retrieved 2011-03-05. Atheism continues to be the official position of the governments of China, North Korea and Cuba.
  3. ^ a b (1972, rev. 1998) "Constitution of North Korea (1972, rev. 1998)"], Wikisource, 6/28/2018
  4. ^ a b c Public Domain One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: United States Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. North Korea: International Religious Freedom Report 2007.
  5. ^ "North Korea confirms US citizen is arrested". BBC. 14 April 2011. Retrieved 16 April 2011.
  6. ^ a b c d e "ANNUAL REPORT OF THE U.S. COMMISSION ON INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM" (PDF). U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. April 2016. pp. 51–52.
  7. ^ "Aid to the Church in Need | North Korea". Aid to the Church in Need. Retrieved 2019-07-03.
  8. ^ Hawk, David (2012). The Hidden Gulag – Exposing Crimes against Humanity in North Korea's Vast Prison System (PDF) (Second ed.). The Committee for Human Rights in North Korea. p. VIII. ISBN 978-0615623672. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  9. ^ "North Korea: Political Prison Camps". Amnesty International. May 4, 2011. Retrieved July 25, 2012.
  10. ^ Kim, Hyung-jin (2010-07-05), AP Exclusive: NKorean killed for spreading Gospel, Associated Press, archived from the original on 9 July 2010, retrieved 2010-07-08
  11. ^ Public executions seen in 7 North Korea cities: Source tells JoongAng Ilbo 80 people killed for minor offenses, JoongAng Ilbo (November 11, 2013).
  12. ^ unidentified official of Catholic Church in North Korea (August 2, 2017). Interview of an Official Of The Catholic Church In Pyongyang North Korea (english sub). Pyongyang, Democratic People's Republic of Korea: Eric Lafforgue. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
  13. ^ "In North Korea there are no bishops, but there are priests whom we have trained". infovaticano. March 16, 2015.
  14. ^ "Buddhist Temples, Federation, Education in DPRK". Archived from the original on 13 November 2016. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  15. ^ Nohlen, Dieter; Grotz, Florian; Hartmann, Christof, eds. (2001). Elections in Asia and the Pacific: A Data Handbook. Vol. 2. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-924959-8.
  16. ^ North Korea Handbook. Seoul: Yonhap News Agency. 2003. p. 124. ISBN 0765610043.
  17. ^ Tan, Morse (2015). North Korea, International Law and the Dual Crises: Narrative and Constructive Engagement. Oxon: Routledge. p. 73. ISBN 978-1-134-12243-1.
  18. ^ Nahm, Andrew C. (1996). Korea: Tradition & Transformation : a History of the Korean People. 한림출판사. p. 525. ISBN 978-1-56591-070-6.
  19. ^ Belke, Thomas Julian (1999). Juche: A Christian Study of North Korea's State Religion. Bartlesville: Living Sacrifice Book Company. p. 124. ISBN 978-0-88264-329-8.
  20. ^ Lee, Wooyoung (26 December 2018). "North Korea sends Christmas greeting in video". UPI.
  21. ^ "North Korea sends Christmas wishes to the South". Asia News. 27 December 2018.
  22. ^ "Korean Council of Religionists". rfpasia.org.

External links[edit]

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