The ‘ This is Local London ‘ website carried an article ‘Religious freedom. Myth or Fact? By Annalisa Joash, Surbiton High School’ which claimed that ‘ In North Korea religious persecution is horrifyingly common’ . Of course this is a spurious and false claim not based on reality.
In fact Article 68 of the Socialist Constitution of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea states as follows ‘Article 68. Citizens have freedom of religious belief.This right is granted through the approval of the construction of religious buildings and the holding of religious ceremonies.
Religion must not be used as a pretext for drawing in foreign forces or for harming the State or social order.’
Pyongyang has several churches ; a Protestant one , a Catholic one and a Russian Orthodox one . There is a Mosque in the grounds of the Iranian Embassy in Pyongyang .There are also Buddhist Temples including the Pohyon Temple at Mt Myohyang . The traditional Korean religion of Chondo is also practiced.
I have seen both the Catholic Church in Pyongyang and also the Buddhist Temple at Mt Myohyang.
A Korean language bible has been produced in the DPRK .
At present in the DPRK there is the Korean Christians’ Federation, the Korean Buddhists Federation, the Korean Catholic Association, the Korean Chondoist Society and the Korean Association of Religionists in the DPRK. These religious organizations have well-organized structural systems (Central Committee at national level, sub-committees at provincial, city and county level and sub-units under them) and their own church, publication, educational organ and so on. They are also conducting cooperation and exchanges with several religious organizations of the world. (Such as the World Religionists Peace Conference, World Council of Churches and Asia Religionists Peace Conference).
It is a slander to say that religion is suppressed in People’s Korea.
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