5 Surprising Facts About Christianity in North Korea

North Korea is famously a difficult place for Christians to live and worship openly. There are tens of thousands of Christians who are imprisoned or under arrest for their faith. And yet, that’s not the full story. Christianity in North Korea has a long and fascinating history.

So, here are five surprising facts about Christianity in North Korea and how this tightly controlled Communist nation has been impacted by the Christian faith:

1. Christianity has a long history in North Korea.

Before the end of World War II and the Korean War, there were more Christians in North Korea than there were in South Korea. North Korea was even known as the “Jerusalem of the East.” Estimates vary about how many Christians exist in North Korea today, but there are likely hundreds of thousands, most of whom operate in secret networks of house churches.

These believers, despite facing ongoing persecution, continue to hold onto their faith quietly and courageously, often at great personal risk.

2. Kim Jong Un’s great-grandfather was a part-time missionary.

The current leader of North Korea, Kim Jong Un, continues the Kim family’s legacy of cracking down on religious expression. Under his leadership, like that of his father, Kim Jong Il, Christians have been thrown into labor camps and subjected to unspeakable conditions because of their faith.

And yet, there is a history of Christianity in Kim’s own family!

The founder of North Korea, Kim Sung Il, was born to parents who were reportedly devout Christians. His father was even a part-time Protestant missionary! And his mother’s name, Kang Pan-sok, was the Korean word for “Peter,” since she was named after Jesus’ disciple of the same name. It’s a paradox that the regime that now persecutes Christians so severely once had its roots in Christian faith.

3. There are public churches in North Korea … but most people think they are for show.

To claim they honor freedom of religion, North Korea built several state-approved churches in Pyongyang, including Bongsu Church, Chilgol Church, and others. These churches are maintained by the Korean Christian Federation, a government-controlled organization. But most observers say these “show churches” are in fact empty expressions of faith, and only exist to try to disguise North Korea’s brutal treatment of Christians.

In one church, the church leaders were comprised of North Korean intelligence officers who were baptized quickly and without any real knowledge of the Christian faith and suddenly elevated to leadership. Other observers have noticed the churches are closed during Sunday worship, or the churches don’t offer things like the Lord’s Supper or sermons about anything other than politics.

Despite the appearance of Christian churches in North Korea, the real church remains underground. According to multiple defectors, these churches function more as political props than houses of worship.

4. Evangelist Billy Graham traveled to North Korea twice—and the evangelist’s family continued that legacy.

In 1992 and 1994, evangelist Billy Graham visited North Korea and met with then-leader Kim Il Sung. He had reasons for a link to North Korea—his wife. As the daughter of missionaries in the 1930s, Ruth Bell Graham had attended some years of high school there. Since that time, Franklin Graham has returned to the country several times.

However, it did not always go as intended—North Korean state media later reported that Billy Graham had declared that Kim Il Sung was “the God who rules today’s human world.” Naturally, Graham’s spokesman denied Graham ever saying such a thing.

These visits remain some of the few high-profile Christian interactions with the regime. The Grahams’ persistence in fostering dialogue with a hostile regime reflects the long-term investment of the global church in North Korean engagement.

5. Christians in house churches are ready to evangelize North Korea.

Despite extreme control and the persecution of Christians, secret believers continue to worship and pray. Underground churches in North Korea are active, though hidden, and believers remain strong in their faith. Many North Korean defectors have testified that Christians inside the country are ready to spread the gospel once the regime falls or the borders open.

Christians in the region have told us that there is a passion for Jesus among the Christians of North Korea—and they are ready to spread the gospel among their people as soon as the country opens. It’s been over 100 years since the Pyongyang Revival, but it could happen again. These underground churches are training future leaders, memorizing scripture, and preparing for the day they can share their faith openly.

Praying With the Underground Church in North Korea

• Pray that Kim Jong Un will be convinced to release the more than 50,000-plus Christians unjustly held in detention centers and prison camps throughout the country.
• Pray that Kim will loosen age-old requirements that residents attend indoctrination classes and display and bow to Kim family portraits.
• Pray that Kim will lift information embargoes and allow his people greater access to radio shows, TV programs, and websites.
• Pray that Kim will allow for the creation of new churches where North Koreans can freely worship outside of few “show churches.”
• Pray that existing believers within North Korea would take courage to lead a new revival of the Christian faith in North Korea.
• Pray that the underground church In North Korea would grow in boldness and be ready for widespread evangelism efforts when the opportunity arises.
• Pray that extended families who have been separated across North and South Korea may be reunited.
• Pray that relief and aid organizations would gain entrance to provide relief aid, trauma care and other needed services.
• Pray that North Korea’s economic and social infrastructure will find reform—that children will no longer be forced into labor, that preschoolers will no longer be indoctrinated, that roadways will be made safe.
• Pray that North Korea’s food supply would be enriched through education and increased trade, so that the 2 in 5 who are currently undernourished will be provided with adequate nutrition.
• Pray that God will give North Korean people wisdom to sift through the many nationalistic and mythical storylines and propaganda they have been fed throughout their lives.
• Pray that parents will ultimately be able to freely share their faith with their children and raise them to know Jesus.

Despite brutal oppression, Christianity in North Korea endures in secret and in spirit. Continue to stand with the persecuted church, believing in God’s power to move even in the darkest places. There is hope—because the gospel cannot be silenced, even in the most closed-off corners of the world.