Religion in North Korea
Religion in North Korea describes the situation of religions and religious communities in the Korean People's Democratic Republic (DPRK), or North Korea for short .
history
The majority of the country's population has traditionally been Buddhists and Confucianists . In addition, since the end of the 18th century, when the first Christian missionaries came to the country, there has been a Christian minority as well as successors to the syncretistic Cheondogyo (religion of the “heavenly wise”) that emerged in the 19th century .
Christianity
The first Christian missionary (a Roman Catholic ) came to Korea in 1785, although the spread of Christianity was forbidden. Korean Christians were persecuted by the government until the country began its "open doors" policy with Western countries in 1881. In 1863 the number of Roman Catholic Christians in Korea was only 23,000.
Until the first half of the twentieth century, Pyongyang was the center of Christianity on the Korean Peninsula . A spiritual revival took place in 1907 (following the Wonsan revival in 1903) and the Christian population increased; in 1945, 13 percent of Pyongyang's population was Christian. Hence the city was also called "the Jerusalem of the East".
Ch'ŏndogyo
The Ch'ŏndogyo ("heavenly sage") grew out of the Tonghak movement during the 19th century . It emphasizes the divine nature of all human beings and contains elements found in Buddhism , Shamanism , Confucianism , Daoism and Catholicism .
present
The Constitution of the DPRK guaranteed in Article 68 freedom of religion , but only insofar as it does not bring any foreign forces in the country and does not endanger the social order of the country. Article 67 guarantees, also with restrictions, the freedom of speech , press and assembly . The North Korean government emphasizes that state and religion are separate and told the UN in 2000 that there were 40,000 practicing religious people in North Korea, which corresponds to almost 0.2 percent of the population. These are organized in the following official religious organizations: Korean Christian Association, Korean Buddhist Association, Korean Association of Roman Catholics and Korean Governing Committee of Chondokyo Believers.
Buddhism
According to government sources, there are currently approximately 10,000 practicing Buddhists, 200 Buddhist preachers and 60 Buddhist temples in North Korea. Buddhism is practiced under the auspices of the official "Korean Buddhist Association". The training of the Buddhist clergy takes place in a three-year training course at a special school; there is also the subject of Buddhism at Kim Il-sung University . Around ten students are expected to complete the five-year course each year. It is not known whether these institutes teach traditional Buddhist values. Observers believe that the training centers are used to instruct students to use Buddhist teachings merely as carriers of the Chuch'e ideology. The Buddhist temples, of which there are still several hundred, are considered to be cultural heritage of Korean past ( e.g. Pohyonsa ), according to statements by North Koreans who have left the country , where no religious acts take place.
Christianity
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According to official figures, around 15,000 Christians live in North Korea, 10,000 of them Protestants . The numbers are questioned by foreign observers, independent verification is not possible, but it is believed that there is an underground church of unknown size. Due to its contacts with house churches, Open Doors assumes that there are 200,000 to 400,000 Christians, 50,000 to 70,000 of whom are in labor camps. The North Korean government sees Christianity as a danger, especially Protestantism, which it believes has a close relationship with the United States and South Korea. Many North Korean refugees have testified that any form of witness to the Christian faith, even possession of a Bible , can be grounds for arrest and deportation to one of the notorious North Korean re-education camps , where inmates are subjected to exceptionally cruel treatment, which is frequent leads to death. Former camp inmates report that Christian prisoners in the camps are even worse off than their non-believing fellow sufferers. According to the head of the South Korean aid organization PSCORE, which works for the almost 30,000 North Korean refugees in the country, it is completely unclear how many Christians live in North Korea. Everything that implies that there could be something higher than the respective leader or that could make sense outside of the state's ideology will be rigorously persecuted and physically exterminated. The churches and temples in the country were used exclusively for state propaganda. An underground church does not exist.
There are four church buildings in Pyongyang. The changchung cathedral is officially regarded as a Roman Catholic, although there is no priest available, two are Protestant. The Roman Catholic and Protestant Pongsu Church opened in 1988, the latter in the presence of South Korean religious dignitaries. The second Protestant church, Chilgol , has existed since 1992. A Russian Orthodox church was opened on April 13, 2006. Foreign observers believe that the buildings were only built for propaganda purposes, but there are also reports that at least in the Protestant churches there are regular services with 100 to 250 visitors. Critics assume, however, that the churches should only be visited by North Koreans who are considered loyal to the state. Defectors in South Korea claim they are even paid to attend services that simulate an active Christian community life. Furthermore, opened in 1988, churches were built to the many foreign visitors in 1989 in Pyongyang held World Festival of Youth and Students simulate the appearance of religious freedom in the country. The Orthodox Church in Pyongyang was built five years after Kim Jong-il's trip to Russia , where he is said to have been deeply impressed by the icons , candles and incense . Some see this church as a symbol of the North Korean-Russian solidarity on a political level than a place of religious activity.
Christianity in North Korea is officially represented by the Korean Christian Association, a state-controlled institution responsible for liaising with foreign churches and governments. Foreigners, who are always accompanied by government supervisors, can attend church services in the Pyongyang churches. Eyewitnesses report that the sermons mixed political and religious beliefs that the KDVR glorified and that some of the pastors did not appear to have had any real religious training.
The American preacher Billy Graham visited North Korea several times in the 1980s and 1990s. In 1994 he met former President Kim Il Sung. Franklin , Graham's son, followed his father's lead in 2000 and met some high-ranking leaders. In the World Persecution Index for Christians of the organization Open Doors , the regime in North Korea has been in first place for years.
Ch'ŏndogyo
In North Korea there is the Chondoist Ch'ŏngu Party, a political party that officially invokes the religion of the Ch'ŏndogyo. However, it is a bogus party in the style of the bloc parties in the GDR .
State ideology
When the Korean Peninsula was part of the Japanese Empire from 1910 to 1945 , the Japanese imperial cult was the reason for tolerance towards traditional religions.
The effect of the communist revolution in 1948 was more drastic.
In North Korea, the dictators Kim Il Sung (the late "great leader") and Kim Jong-il (his son, the so-called "dear leader") are the focus of a publicly staged personality cult. Her portraits are ubiquitous in the streets, in schools , in public buildings and in all private homes. The ideological statements and scriptures produced by the two leaders are the main foundation of education for children as well as adults.
The story of the origins of the Kims is mythologically transfigured. On public occasions, songs are sung that portray the leaders as the saviors of the country and each individual citizen, thus raising them to the level of gods .
This all-pervasive personality cult , together with the doctrine of Chuch'e (autarky), has gradually supplanted the religions that flourished before the rise of real socialism . According to observers from human rights organizations as well as from foreign governments, this regime change brought about the end of the free practice of religion, as the government only supported those religious groups that built an illusion of religious freedom.
Individual evidence
- ^ A b c David Hawk: Thank You Father Kim Il Sung: Eyewitness Accounts of Severe Violations of Freedom of Thought, Conscience, and Religion in North Korea. (PDF; 1.7 MB) United States Commission on International Religious Freedom , accessed on February 8, 2020 .
- ↑ So Dok Kun (Korean Buddhist Council in Japan): Q&A on Buddhism in DPRK. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on May 16, 2012 ; Accessed December 20, 2011 .
- ↑ Kim Son Hwi: Christianity in the DPRK FAQ. 2005, archived from the original on February 29, 2012 ; Accessed December 20, 2011 .
- ↑ A cry for help from the underground. Open Doors , accessed on August 18, 2017 (German).
- ↑ Soon Ok Lee : Let me be your voice! Six years in North Korea's labor camps. Giessen: Brunnen 2005. ISBN 3-7655-3848-5 .
- ↑ ISHR: Interview with the head of the NGO PSCORE: “In my opinion there is no such thing as an underground church in North Korea.” March 23, 2016, accessed on June 14, 2016 .
- ↑ Park Hyun Min: Believers at Pyongyang Bongsu Church are Members of Chosun Workers Party. In: Daily NK . June 8, 2007, accessed December 20, 2011 .
- ↑ North Korea allows Russian Orthodox Church. In: Russia News. August 15, 2006, accessed December 20, 2011 .
- ^ Vantage Point. September 2006, Vol. 29. No. 9, p. 27.
- ↑ by North Korea in the Open Doors World Tracking Index