Mick Hartley

From the Daily NK:

The North Korean authorities have recently begun patting themselves on the back for bringing religion under control, claiming that “organized underground services and secret prayer groups have almost disappeared.” The authorities believe that religious activity has been practically exterminated, which they consider to be a significant win in stabilizing the regime.

“Exterminated” is a strong word here, where you might reasonably expect “eliminated”. Probably appropriate in the circumstances though.

According to a Daily NK source in North Korea recently, the North Korean authorities credit this success to intensified crackdowns by the Ministry of State Security’s counterintelligence departments since the enactment of the Youth Education Guarantee Act in September 2021.

Article 41 of the Youth Education Guarantee Act includes religious acts on its list of activities young people must eschew. Since the law was enacted four years ago, the Ministry of State Security’s counterintelligence departments have kept a very close eye on such activities, as well as on similar behavior….

“The authorities doubly or triply watch people who have studied abroad or workers who were sent abroad—people who have experience living overseas,” the source said. “If they are caught engaging in religious activity after they return home, they are immediately arrested.”

The primary targets of the crackdowns are Protestants and Catholics. As a matter of internal policy, such people are “sent straight to political prison camps.” Buddhists and people engaged in folk beliefs are also targeted, but they receive lighter punishments.…

“(North Korea’s) religious repression goes beyond simply control—it’s a core strategy for regime survival,” the source said. “The dominant belief is that religious oppression will continue for as long as the regime lasts.”

Religion is obviously a threat to the regime, and especially Christianity, with its emphasis on the individual conscience. No alternative to Kim worship can be tolerated, and certainly nothing that encourages people to think for themselves.