North Korea

How are Christians harassed, discriminated against and persecuted?

In North Korea, it is a crime to be a Christian, as only the Communist Party's 'Juche' ideology is allowed. The Juche ideology is a mixture of personality worship of the Kim family and socialism. Kim Il-Sung grew up in a Christian home and misused his knowledge of Christianity to create an ideology in which he himself is worshipped as a god. For example, North Korean children are taught in school that humans are made in Kim Il-Sung's image.

School teachers are trained to ask students specific questions that can reveal whether there are Bibles in children's homes and whether a family is Christian. The use of these tactics also means that parents are pressured to hide their faith from their own children and not raise them in the Christian faith - at least not while they are very young and can speak up in school.

Prison camps with torture

It is extremely risky for Christians to fellowship with other Christians, possess Bibles and share their faith with others. People who are discovered risk being sent to prison camps without any trial. Eyewitness accounts tell how people tortured on the most gruesome and humiliating ways you can imagine.

Punishment for three generations

According to North Korean criminal law, an entire family can be punished if one family member commits a crime, and families are punished for the crimes of family members for three generations. The North Korean regime has thus created an oppressive social structure with built-in social pressure to keep the population in an iron grip.

Typically, a small underground church does not meet at a fixed time and place, so authorities cannot uncover a pattern of meeting activity. Sometimes they eat together. The numbers are so many, that can meet in a room. No one gets suspicious when they meet with a natural and legitimate reason. 

There are a few churches in Pyongyang, but they function as exhibitions where the regime tries to give foreign visitors the impression that there is freedom of religion in the country.

How do Christians share their faith?

Due to extreme persecution, Christians are cautious about sharing their faith. The Christian witnesses typically not the first time, with non-Christians, but when they have a deep and trusting relationship where they know, that non-Christians will not reveal them, they can share their faith. Christians must rely entirely on God's leading and encouragement to, When to testify.

What does the Danish European Mission do

The public food supply and healthcare system is far from well-functioning, but with the support of Danish European Mission donors, local Christians can receive emergency aid - and also help others in need. Danish European Mission donors ensure that medicineFood and seeds are brought to the persecuted Christians and others in need in North Korea.

In addition, North Korean refugees in China receive assistance to travel to a safe third countryas China would otherwise forced repatriation them to prison in North Korea.