Christians in North Korea are being enslaved, raped, tortured and killed at an alarming rate under Kim Jong-Un’s leadership, according to a new report from Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW).
In the report called Total Denial: Violations of Freedom of Religion or Belief in North Korea, CSW said freedom of religion “is largely non-existent.”
“Religious beliefs are seen as a threat to the loyalty demanded by the Supreme Leader, so anyone holding these beliefs is severely persecuted,” the report said.
“Christians suffer significantly because of the anti-revolutionary and imperialist labels attached to them by the country’s leadership.”
Documented incidents against Christians include “being hung on a cross over a fire, crushed under a steamroller, herded off bridges and trampled underfoot.”
This list goes on to include things like “extra-judicial killing, extermination, enslavement/forced labor, forcible transfer of population, arbitrary imprisonment, torture, persecution, enforced disappearance, rape and sexual violence, and other inhumane acts.”
As a result of these violent acts, believers are forced to practice their faith in secret. The North Korean regime estimates there are about 13,000 Christians in the country, but Christian leaders believe the number to be higher.
Cornerstone Ministries International told the Christian Today that the number could be as high as 200-300,000.
Persecution runs deep even for those who don’t practice Christianity but associate with Christians. They often find themselves in trouble.
Read more on North Korea’s violent oppression of Christians via CBN News.