N. Korea most dangerous for religious people
North Korea is one of the most dangerous states for the religious, says an international human rights organization. /Courtesy of Yonhap
By Lee Jin-a
North Korea is one of the most dangerous countries for religious people, according to an international human rights organization.
Radio Free Asia (RFA) said Human Rights Without Frontiers International (HRWF) designated the communist state among 20 countries that suppress religious activities and persecute followers, along with Iran and China.
“We found at least four foreign religious people were jailed last year for their religious beliefs,” HRWF said in a report.
The organization said the North Korean government does not allow any religions, but only the “juche” (self-reliance) ideology for its citizens. The country’s late founder, Kim Il-sung, developed juche as the official political ideology.
“Christians in underground churches are regularly arrested by the police,” HRWF director Willy Fautré told RFA. “It is just the tip of an iceberg that foreign religious people were jailed.”