North Korea - Prayercast (2024)

FAQs

Is Christianity allowed in North Korea? ›

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" in Korea, such as Christianity, Buddhism or Cheondoism.

Pray that secret Christians in North Korea can be salt and light so that many other people can be saved. Pray for all North Koreans who are at risk of malnourishment and starvation. Ask God to move in the hearts of the country's leaders to take care of their citizens and help them survive.

North Korea is an atheist state where public religion is discouraged. Based on estimates from the late 1990s and the 2000s, North Korea is mostly atheist and agnostic with the religious life dominated by the traditions of Korean shamanism and Chondoism.

There is no freedom of religion or belief at all in North Korea. For almost all of the past 20 years, it's been the place where Christians face the worst persecution in the world. “I know that it would be dangerous to tell anyone about Jesus.” “I know that it would be dangerous to tell anyone about Jesus,” says Ji Ho.

The penalty for owning a Bible is time in North Korea's brutal prison camps. One refugee told Mike Kim of his time in a prison camp where he was among a group of 160 Christians caught for their beliefs.

Confucian views of the afterlife are more visible in North Korea, and its traditions and history are allowed. From this, the Confucian perspective is most common among North Koreans and this outlook is more openly discussed. Apart from this, there are those that reject the existence of the afterlife.

The Catholic Church in North Korea retains a community of several hundred adherents who practice under the supervision of the state-established Korean Catholic Association (KCA) rather than the Catholic hierarchy. The dioceses of the Church have remained vacant since Christian persecutions in the late 1940s.

Francis, which says: "Lord, make me an instrument of your peace, that I may love where one hates; that I forgive where one offends." Today, this prayer, said by the faithful of the "Association of North Korean Catholics" recognized by the government in Pyongyang, also resounds across the border.

Korean is the official language of both South Korea (Republic of Korea) and North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea).

Even though laws and regulations exist in the North Korea, citizens are forced to obey the “The Workers' Party's Ten Principles of the Establishment of a Unitary Ideology System”. The North Korean people are forced to memorize these principals and regard them as the standard by which they must live their lives.

Can you believe in God in North Korea? ›

Officially, North Korea is an atheist state, although its constitution guarantees free exercise of religion, provided that religious practice does not introduce foreign forces, harm the state, or harm the existing social order.

The personality cult surrounding Kim Il Sung is by far the most widespread among the people. While there is genuine affection for Kim Il Sung, it has been manipulated by the government for political purposes. The veneration of Kim Il Sung came into full effect following a mass purge in 1953.

Officially North Korea is an atheist state, however according to most recent estimates, some religions do exist. These are the Korean religions of Shamanism and Chondoism, as well as Christianity & Buddhism. The North Korean constitution officially guarantees freedom of religion but in reality this is not the case.

While South Korea's constitution guarantees freedom of religion and separation of church and state, the government has been sympathetic to Christianity. It considers the religion to provide some ideological protection against their Communist neighbor.

Legal Framework

The constitution states all citizens have freedom of religion and that there shall be no discrimination in political, economic, social, or cultural life on the basis of religion.

Christianity in China is governed by several sets of rules.

Christians are allowed to worship in “official churches” registered with supervisory government agencies responsible for Protestantism and Catholicism. However, many Christians refuse this oversight and worship in underground churches.

North Korea has strict laws about what you can bring into the country. It's illegal to bring in religious, p*rnographic or political items. Declare all published material and electronic devices when you arrive. It's also illegal to knowingly or unknowingly possess items that breach North Korean law.