The Database Middle for North Korean Human Rights (NKDB) introduced the outcomes of its 2024 White Paper on Spiritual Freedom in North Korea and a public consciousness survey on North Korean human rights on the Franciscan Schooling Middle in Seoul’s Jeong-dong on Jan. 23.
The Rev. Stephen Kim of the Jericho Mission, who has devoted over 30 years to enhancing consciousness of North Korean human rights and rescuing defectors, additionally shared insights into the state and route of missions to North Korea, in response to reporting by Christian Day by day Korea.
The White Paper on Spiritual Freedom, printed for the primary time in 4 years, relies on responses and investigations of North Korean defectors who’ve settled in South Korea. It consists of knowledge from 15,169 accrued responses and a couple of,045 circumstances of spiritual persecution. Soo-young Yang, a researcher at NKDB, offered the findings and tendencies.
Get Our Newest Information for FREE
Subscribe to get day by day/weekly electronic mail with the highest tales (plus particular gives!) from The Christian Publish. Be the primary to know.
Extreme spiritual persecution continues in North Korea
In line with the survey, 96.6% of respondents said that spiritual actions are “not permitted” in North Korea. When requested if they’d secretly participated in spiritual actions, 98.8% answered “no.” Solely 4.7% responded “sure” when requested if they’d witnessed others participating in secret spiritual actions. These secret spiritual practices embody not solely underground Christian church buildings but in addition different faiths, together with shamanism.
When requested if they’d ever seen spiritual gadgets such because the Bible, the response charge of “sure” has remained round 5% since 2008. Nevertheless, in 2023, this charge unexpectedly surged to 55.6%. This dramatic enhance is attributed to a smaller pattern measurement because of the sharp decline in defectors getting into South Korea after 2020.
Among the many sorts of spiritual persecution, “spiritual actions” ranked highest at 64.1%, adopted by “possession of spiritual gadgets” at 17.9%. Spiritual persecution incidents have considerably elevated because the 2000s, linked to the heightened management measures following the “Arduous March” interval (1995–2000), throughout which North Korea confronted a extreme famine and system collapse.
“Whereas there have been no main modifications within the outcomes, the constant presence of people who’ve participated in or witnessed secret spiritual actions warrants continued investigation,” Yang commented.
She additionally confused the necessity for worldwide stress by linking discussions on human rights and spiritual persecution in North Korea. Moreover, measures ought to be sought to make sure a gradual influx of spiritual supplies into North Korea.
Roughly 40,000 North Korean defectors in China
Rev. Kim then talked in regards to the present state and route of missions in North Korea. He emphasised the worsening management over North Korean defectors in China after COVID-19, highlighting the necessity for a paradigm shift in North Korean missions.
“Wanting on the historical past of Christianity’s eradication in North Korea, a shift occurred earlier than and after COVID-19. In the course of the pandemic, North Korea achieved full management, issuing orders to ‘shoot anybody or any animal approaching the border.'”
Kim estimated that “there are about 40,000 North Korean defectors in China.” He defined that China’s coverage towards defectors has considerably modified. Beforehand, North Koreans usually grew to become marriage companions because of the rural impoverishment in China. Over time, nevertheless, as their kids entered faculties, social points emerged.
With the inhabitants decline, China has been stopping defectors from returning to South Korea. Punishments for these caught making an attempt to go to South Korea have turn into harsher. Earlier than COVID-19, 765 defectors had been dropped at South Korea, however now the quantity has dropped to 192. Prices have elevated tenfold, and boundaries over 4 meters excessive have been erected. Some defectors have been caught in China for over 15 years, and 57 South Korean missionaries have been forcibly taken to China.”
Concerning North Korea, Kim defined, “In North Korea, it is now potential to order meals supply through cell apps. Nevertheless, inside management stays extreme after COVID-19. Persons are instructed to report even those that clasp their palms or mumble in prayer. Inspection and monitoring have intensified, and the Reactionary Thought and Tradition Regulation has been established.”
“The mindset of North Korean folks is basically completely different from ours. For them, the Kim household is seen as ‘God.’ Identical to we now have the Bible, they’ve one thing akin to a ‘Bible’ used for regime indoctrination,” he added.
On the underground church in North Korea, Kim famous, “There’s a saying that ‘those that entered North Korea in the course of the March of Struggling grew to become the church,’ however this can’t be confirmed. With knowledge from 20-30 years in the past, the existence of underground church buildings can’t be assured. Many movies and pictures claiming to point out underground church buildings are fabricated or false. Nonetheless, I’ve personally met people in North Korea who’ve religion. Letting go of outdated concepts and adopting correct analysis knowledge can usher in a brand new and trustworthy period of North Korean missions. Regardless of the grim actuality, Christians nonetheless stay in North Korea.”
65% of South Koreans present curiosity in human rights in North Korea
Seung-pyo Park, director of the analysis division at Shopper Perception, introduced the outcomes of the 2024 Nationwide Notion Survey on North Korean Human Rights, which focused 1,000 women and men aged 19 and older throughout the nation.
65% of the general public expressed curiosity in North Korean human rights. The most typical cause, cited by 33.4% of respondents, was “sympathy for the poverty and struggling of North Korean folks.” Concerning the severity of North Korean human rights points, 96% seen them as “critical.”
Nevertheless, when it got here to the potential for enchancment, 86.2% responded pessimistically, believing that enchancment is “unlikely,” displaying a rising development of pessimism. Consciousness of the North Korean Human Rights Act, applied in 2016, together with its achievements and effectiveness, was additionally evaluated negatively. Regardless of this, 60.2% of respondents agreed that “the South Korean authorities ought to elevate the problem of North Korean human rights.”
Human rights amid altering circumstances
Seung-yeop Lee, a analysis analyst on the NKDB, delivered a presentation titled “Evaluating and Forecasting North Korean Human Rights Amid Altering Circumstances.” He highlighted the sharp decline within the variety of North Korean defectors on account of tightened border controls with China in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. This has considerably restricted the power to safe and confirm circumstances of human rights violations in North Korea.
Moreover, Lee outlined key North Korean human rights points for this yr, together with:
The dispatch of 10,000 troops to help Russia’s conflict effort, resulting in a rise in prisoners of conflict.
Continued pressured repatriation of defectors and border closures by China.
Institutional neglect of defectors residing in China.
Limitations of worldwide sanctions towards North Korea and the influence of former U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration.
The forthcoming launch of the 4th Common Periodic Assessment (UPR) conclusions between February and April.
Political occasions such because the eightieth anniversary of the founding of the Employees’ Occasion of Korea.
In the meantime, the Database Middle for North Korean Human Rights plans to publish studies and host a seminar in September on subjects together with North Korean laborers and troopers overseas, in addition to these forcibly repatriated by China.
Reassessing North Korean mission methods, exploring strategic change
Throughout a complete dialogue session, Yeo-sang Yoon, director of the North Korean Human Rights Archives, emphasised the necessity for sensible measures to enhance North Korean human rights, notably from the attitude of the church.
“The Korean church usually plans and prays about ‘the place to ship missions first,’ ‘what number of church buildings to ascertain,’ and ‘the assets and time required.’ Nevertheless, these discussions are disconnected from actuality,” he mentioned.
“Proper now, individuals are being tortured, despatched to focus camps, or publicly executed for spiritual persecution. This seminar was held to not focus on future missions in North Korea however to lift consciousness of the present scenario and deal with what we will do now.”
Rev. Kim, who has been concerned in North Korean missions for over 30 years, commented that “the Korean Christian group has performed an undeniably vital function, however the trendy zeitgeist of ‘unification’ has been transferred to the Church, the place it has mixed with prosperity theology and dominion theology. This has led to an overestimation of the influence and outcomes of North Korean mission efforts.”
“There are solely a really small variety of Christians in North Korea. The theological basis and motion plans for North Korean missions must be re-established. Sources and a focus should be directed towards defectors remaining in China,” he added.
Kim additionally confused the significance of participating proactively with North Korean laborers, saying, “We should create efficient factors of contact with laborers in China, collaborating with establishments and firms to assist rework their lives. Change won’t come from the so-called ‘jangmadang era’ (the market era) alone; management should additionally evolve. We have to devise mission methods that focus on the working class who act as intermediaries.”
Researcher Yang emphasised the necessity for sustained dialogue channels with North Korea. He proposed collaboration with impartial nations like Switzerland and Sweden, stating: “There are missionaries who’ve been detained in North Korea for prolonged intervals, and we’re presently unable even to substantiate whether or not they’re alive. On the very least, efforts should be made to substantiate their standing. The very best precedence ought to be on worldwide cooperation to make sure their secure return to South Korea.”
Authentic reporting by Christian Day by day Korea, translated and edited by Christian Day by day Worldwide workers.
Christian Day by day Worldwide gives biblical, factual and private information, tales and views from each area, specializing in spiritual freedom, holistic mission and different points related for the worldwide Church immediately.
