What does persecution look like in North Korea?
If your Christian faith is discovered in North Korea, you could be killed on the spot. If you aren't killed, you will be deported to a labour camp and treated as a political criminal. You will be punished with years of hard labour that few survive. And it's not only you who will be punished: North Korean authorities are likely to round up your extended family and punish them too, even if your family members aren't Christians.
There is no church life in North Korea. It's impossible to gather for worship or prayer, and even secret worship and prayer is at great risk. Official spies could inform on you, if they have any indication that you are a Christian, and so could your neighbours or teachers.
Recognising any deity beyond the Kim family is considered a threat to the country's leadership. ‘Anti-reactionary thought laws’ were enacted in December 2020. These made it even clearer that being a Christian or owning a Bible is a serious crime and will be severely punished. While a handful of churches exist for visitors in the capital, Pyongyang, these serve for propaganda purposes only and are no indication of religious freedom in the country.
Even North Korean citizens who have escaped the country are not safe. Refugees in other countries, particularly China, are at risk of being rounded up and sent back to appalling punishments. Chinese spies work with North Korean authorities to return refugees, including Christians. If it is discovered that a North Korean has become a Christian, or has heard the gospel or come into contact with Christians, then they will be singled out for severe punishment.
Who is most vulnerable to persecution?
All Christians in North Korea are vulnerable to extreme persecution at the hands of the country’s totalitarian regime. For several years, the border region with China was considered a particular hotspot, given the constant stream of defectors, but recent moves to fortify the border have made it even harder to escape.
Meet "Joo Min"
"I know the risks involved. If I am caught, I could end up in a labour camp, paying a heavy price for being a Christian now"
Joo Min
What has changed this year?
In early 2024, the government announced stricter regulations and crackdowns, which increased terror among North Koreans. According to official reports, the authorities publicly executed about 30 middle-school students (early teenagers) for watching a Korean drama on a USB drive. Several teenagers (17 years old) were sentenced to life imprisonment or death for similar reasons in June and July 2024. A North Korean government official disclosed that several residents were sentenced to labour reform for picking up plastic bottles containing cooking rice sent from South Korea. While President Kim Jong Un and his family live luxurious lives, the situation for most North Koreans is getting worse. They are suffering hunger and desperate need.
What does Open Doors do to help Christians in North Korea?
Through secret networks outside the country, Open Doors secret workers are helping around 100,000 North Korean believers by providing vital food and aid, shelter and discipleship training for North Korean refugees at safe houses in China, and training through radio broadcasting from outside the country.
How can you pray for North Korea?
- Please pray that God will give Christians – both in and outside North Korea – eyes to see His light amid the darkness.
- Pray for the estimated 400,000 secret believers in North Korea, that God will make a way for them to worship with other Christians.
- Pray that God will refresh courageous believers with His peace.
