Christianity has an odd history in North Korea. Pyongyang was once known as the “Jerusalem of the East” and North Korea’s founding father Kim Il Sung himself grew up steeped in Christian traditions.
Though North Korea’s well-known human rights abuses include the suppression of religious freedom, there is in fact a small, state-sanctioned community of Christians that appear to be genuinely pious.
Director for International Affairs at the World Council of Churches Peter Prove joins the NK News Podcast to talk about this community, international representation, the difficulty with gauging non-official religiosity in the North, and more.
About the podcast: The North Korea News Podcast is a weekly podcast hosted exclusively by NK News, covering all things DPRK: from news to extended interviews with leading experts and analysts in the field and insight from our very own journalists.