TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Adherents of Christianity in North Korea, can not freely celebrate Christmas. If caught, they face the death penalty.
In North Korea, any belief other than the worship of the Kim dynasty is prohibited. Christians also celebrate Christmas in secret. Because Christmas celebrations fall almost simultaneously with the birthday of Kim Jong-suk, the wife of North Korea’s first supreme leader, Kim Il-sung. Every December 24, is known as Kim Jong-suk’s Day celebration.
In an interview with Express.co.uk, Timothy Cho, a fugitive from North Korea, said any Christian found worshiping would be shot on the spot by Kim Jong Un’s troops. Cho, currently works for Open Doors, a charity that helps support persecuted Christians.
“I believe they will be hunted. There is no doubt about that. The Kim regime will urge the people to show their full loyalty to the Kim family,” he said.
If anyone secretly celebrated Christmas, they would be arrested and could also be killed outright. “They (Kim Jong Un’s government) still need authority for public executions, the only one where they don’t need it is for Christians or political prisoners in prison camps,” he said. Cho claims the birth of Kim Jong-il has been mythologicalized to imitate the birth of Christ.
The number of Christians in North Korea is estimated at 400,000. They must remain hidden from the lethal regime.
However, many Christians have been sent to barbaric prisons and labor camps because of their faith. The charity estimates around 50,000-70,000 Christians in the country are currently in prison camps.
The death penalty is common in North Korea. Kim Jong Un has previously sentenced North Koreans to death who were found watching K-Pop videos from South Korea.
Read: Revealing the Reasons for North Korea to Develop Nuclear Weapons
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