The State Department report on religious freedom in North Korea says that “authorities held 50,000 to 70,000 citizens in prison for being Christian.” Even Christians who were not imprisoned “experienced persecution that was ‘violent and intense.’” The report stated that “life for Christians … is a constant cauldron of pressure; capture or death is only a mistake away.”

“Christians subjected to ‘relentless persecution’ in North Korea,” Irish Catholic, December 5, 2024:

North Koreans who are repatriated from China and who have had contact with Christians are sent to North Korean political prisoner camps, according to the latest report on religious freedom by the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).

Persecuted and Forgotten? A Report on Christians oppressed for their Faith 2022-24 was published this month during Red Week and is an initiative by ACN to draw attention to religious persecution around the world. The 2024 edition addresses the situation in 18 key countries, including North Korea.

North Korea is a communist nation ruled since 1948 by the Kim dynasty, and although “gauging the true number of Christians or the extent of their faith in North Korea is exceedingly difficult,” says ACN, “they are estimated to comprise around 0.38% of the population, which equates to just over 98,000 people.”

However, despite the small number of believers, Christianity is considered a threat to the state, which is why Christians are forced to go underground….