A recent report by Christian Solidarity Worldwide has condemned North Korea’s ongoing repression of civil and spiritual liberties.
The report, titled ‘North Korea: We cannot look away’, was published to mark the tenth anniversary of a landmark report by the UN Commission of Inquiry into extensive human rights violations within the hermit communist country.
The UN report condemned the “gravity, scale and nature” of human rights abuses being committed within the country and said on the time that North Korea “doesn’t have any parallel within the contemporary world”.
In its anniversary report, CSW said that 10 years on, Christianity is particularly targeted in the continued suppression of beliefs, although those that express an opinion difficult the Kim regime may also face severe punishment.
“No steps” have been taken by the Kim regime to uphold international human rights standards, CSW said, adding that the human rights situation in North Korea stays virtually unchanged and will even have deteriorated because of this of quite a few aspects including the pandemic and the forced repatriation of North Korean refugees from China.
Penalties for expressing opinions or beliefs deemed to challenge the Kim regime include torture, detention in political prison camps, and even execution. North Koreans suspected of using religious materials, including the Bible, can expect the identical fate.
The report draws on interviews with six North Korean escapees and 17 experts on the country, and was launched in Seoul, South Korea.
CSW’s CEO Scot Bower said that a decade on from the UN’s landmark report, the Kim regime “stays committed to being a pariah on the international stage and acting with hostility towards global standards for human rights”.
“We hope that this report generates further conversation and modern considering amongst researchers, policymakers, civil society and funders on the right way to address one in all the worst human rights and humanitarian crises on the earth,” he said.
“Our vision stays one in all a North Korea during which everyone seems to be free to exercise their rights and freedoms, including the appropriate to freedom of faith or belief, and today we reaffirm our commitment to making sure that this vision becomes a reality.”
In a recent UN report into human rights abuses in North Korea, UN Secretary-General António Guterres says that North Korea and its leaders have to be held to account.
The repression of freedom of thought and expression increased significantly between July 2023 to May 2024, and the regime has been cracking down on “reactionary” content, based on the report.Â
“Given the inaction of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, it’s imperative that accountability be pursued elsewhere. The General Assembly … called upon the Security Council and Member States to take further steps to make sure criminal accountability, including through referral of the situation to the International Criminal Court,” said Guterres.
Timothy Cho, a North Korean who escaped the country and now works for the religious persecution charity Open Doors, said, “It’s only right that the individuals who have consigned tons of of 1000’s to prison and starvation should answer for his or her crimes.
“However, with China, and now Russia standing with the North Korean regime, it’s only a distant dream.”
Open Doors coordinator for ministry amongst North Koreans, Simon Lee (name modified for security reasons), said that North Korea’s Law on Rejecting Reactionary Thought and Culture has not only targeted South Korean culture and foreign news, but additionally Christians and spiritual material including the Bible.
Although the official text doesn’t mention Christianity or religion, it speaks of “superstitious materials”.
“Every North Korean knows what is supposed with that phrase,” he said.Â
