1. North Korea
Region
Asia
Christian population
400 000 (1.5%)
Main relegion
Agnosticism
Main threats
• Dictatorial paranoia
• Communist and post-Communist oppression
Total score
98%
Pressure
100%
Violence
86.5%
North Korea is arguably the most dangerous place on earth to follow Jesus. If someone is discovered to be a Christian, the consequences are unimaginably stark: either imprisonment in one of its notorious labour camps, with little hope of release, or immediate execution. The same fate is likely to await other family members.
While the church buildings displayed in the capital, Pyongyang, might suggest a degree of tolerance, this is propaganda. The reality is very different. Christianity has no place in North Korea, a country where homage must be directed one way only: towards the Kim regime. With watchful eyes everywhere – even from neighbours and family – even the slightest hint of worshipping Jesus can have devastating consequences. Remarkably, believers do gather, but in utmost secrecy and at enormous risk.
Recent years have seen conditions worsen further for North Korea’s secret believers. This is largely due to the “anti-reactionary thought law”, introduced in 2020, which made it even clearer that being a Christian and owning a Bible is regarded as a serious crime. The law has reinforced just how much of a threat Christianity is seen to be by the country’s unbending regime.
Please pray
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Ask God to change the hearts of Kim Jong-un and his family, knowing that He did the same for the Apostle Paul.
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Pray that God would protect the small gathering of Christian families and friends and that these believers would sense God’s perfect peace.
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Pray that God would help those believers in North Korea affected by a lack of food to find the food they need and for opportunities to share the Gospel with others in similar circumstances wisely.