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As North Korea Threatens Nuclear War, More Christians Suffer

  • Religion Today Religious persecution, missions, Christianity around the world
  • Updated Apr 22, 2013

As the world turns its attention to North Korean threats of nuclear war, human rights groups are bringing attention the extensive human rights violations in the country. Long considered the world's worst persecutor of Christians, estimates place the number of imprisoned Christians at between 30,000 and 70,000, the ICC reports. Once known as the Jerusalem of the East and a center of Christianity in Asia, the Communist regime run by the Kim family has tried to crush Christianity into oblivion for more than half a century. On Friday, the North Korean government said it would not be able to guarantee the safety of embassies after April 10, and suggested that Russia, China and Great Britain consider evacuating their diplomats. While the situation appears to be serious, governments are playing down the rhetoric from North Korea, assuming it represents yet another tantrum by a regime starving for attention, legitimacy and economic aid. North Korea is the worst perpetrator of persecution against Christians in the world. Christians are tortured, imprisoned, and murdered. Private, non-state-sanctioned religious activity is prohibited. Anyone discovered engaging in clandestine religious activity is subject to arrest, torture or even public execution. As many as 100,000 believers are thought to worship secretly. Possessing a Bible, saying the words God or Jesus, and meeting together are all offenses punishable by death. VOM reports estimate that of the hundreds of thousands incarcerated in labor and concentration camps, about 30,000 are Christians.