International Religious Freedom Report, 2013: Democratic People's Republic of Korea

摘要

Although the constitution and other laws and policies provide for religious freedom, in practice, the government severely restricted religious activity, except for some officially recognized groups that it tightly supervised. Genuine religious freedom did not exist. Government practices continued to interfere with individuals ability to choose and to manifest their religious beliefs. The government continued to repress the religious activities of unauthorized religious groups. Reports by refugees, defectors, missionaries, and nongovernment organizations (NGOs) indicated that religious persons who engaged in proselytizing and those who were in contact with foreigners or missionaries were arrested and subjected to extremely harsh penalties, including execution. South Korean media reported that North Koreans were executed for religious activities. Due to the countrys inaccessibility and lack of timely information, arrests and punishments remained difficult to verify. The government allowed foreigners to attend government-sponsored religious services.