North Korea's Hidden Faith: A Fight for Belief

North Korea's government claims it has won its fight against religion, but a recent report tells a different story. A survey of defectors found that almost everyone agrees: practicing religion openly is impossible. The country is officially atheist, but its constitution says people can believe what they want, as long as it doesn't challenge the state. In reality, religious activity is banned, and those who practice in secret risk severe punishment. The government blocks access to social media, foreign media, and even communication with family abroad. Possessing religious texts or foreign media can lead to imprisonment, execution, or punishment for entire families. The regime has intensified its crackdown on religion, especially since the 2021 Youth Education Guarantee Act. This law bans religious activity for young people and empowers security agencies to treat worship as an anti-state crime. Christians are particularly targeted because the government sees religion as a threat to its power. Anyone caught praying, possessing a Bible, or meeting for worship is labeled a criminal and risks imprisonment, torture, or execution. Families of those caught can also be punished for three generations under the regime's "total control zone" system. Despite the dangers, some North Koreans still practice their faith in secret. Small pockets of believers continue to pray alone or in tiny groups, maintaining their faith quietly. The regime maintains a few showcase churches for propaganda, but defectors say these exist solely to claim religious tolerance. Young North Koreans face three pressures: state indoctrination, forbidden foreign culture, and a search for meaning through superstition or hidden faith. Smuggled South Korean dramas and music give young people brief glimpses of freedom, planting the idea that life could be different. The regime responds with strict punishment and tighter ideological control, forcing children to memorize slogans and report on one another. Amid economic hardship and limited hope, many young people have turned to illegal superstitious practices like shamanism and fortune-telling. Christian parents face an impossible dilemma: they cannot share their faith with their children because a single mistake could doom the entire family. Underground believers warn that the future of the secret church depends on raising the next generation in faith, even if they must wait until their children are old enough to protect the family secret.