A/HRC/25/CRP.1 247. Generally, the DPRK’s policy towards religion has been described to be a dual one through which an appearance of religious tolerance is maintained for the international audience while in fact religious activities are suppressed internally.266 248. In the DPRK’s UPR submission, it highlighted the existence of several officially recognized Christian congregations and associations of believers of other religions. It was submitted that: There are such religious organizations as Korea Christian Federation, Korea Buddhists’ Federation, Korea Roman Catholic Association, Korea Chondoist Society and Korea Religionists’ Society. In recent years the Pongsu Christian Church, the Janchung Roman Catholic Church in Pyongyang and Ryongthong Buddhists’ Temple in Kaesong have been rebuilt and expanded, and the Singye Temple in Mt. Kumgang and Bopun Temple in Mt. Ryongak restored to their original state. A Russian Orthodox Church was built in Pyongyang in August 2006, where Russian religious persons staying in the DPRK are holding religious ceremonies. The publications of the religious organizations include ‘Chondoism Scriptures’, ‘Chondoism Digest’, ‘The Old Testament’, ‘Hymn’, ‘Choice and Practice’, ‘Let’s learn Roman Catholicism’, ‘Steps of Religious Life’ and ‘Catholic Prayer’.267 249. Further, according to DPRK’s submission to the Human Rights Committee in December 1999: There are religious educational institutions managed by religious bodies. The Central Committee of the Korean Christians Federation runs the Pyongyang Theological School, the Central Committee of the Korean Buddhists Federation [runs] the School of Buddhism, the Korean Central Guidance Committee of the Believers in Chondogyo [runs] the Chondogyo Secondary School, and the Central Committee of the Korean Association of Roman Catholic also educates students. In 1989 the state newly established the Department of Religion in Kim Il Sung University in view of the desire of some school parents for such education of their children. 268 250. There are reportedly also some “house churches” which the DPRK government recognizes and claims to number 500.269 The participants in these gatherings are apparently individuals whose families were Christians before 1950; and as such, they are allowed to gather for worship without leaders or religious materials. Most of the house churches are in urban areas and the families who attend are often segregated in separate housing units. The religious studies that were established in 1989 in the Kim Il-sung University cover Protestantism, Catholicism, Buddhism, Cheongdyo and Islam.270 251. However, witnesses have claimed that the opportunity to undertake such studies is limited to only very loyal citizens, and those who graduate from these studies include those who carry on to become ministers of state-approved churches. Further, the Commission learned from witnesses that state-approved churches exist for the purpose of earning foreign currency, as those affiliated with such churches are meant to contact foreigners and raise 266 267 268 269 270 70 NKDB, “Religious Freedom in North Korea”, p. 28. A/HRC/WG.6/6/PRK/1, para. 45. CCPR/C/PRK/2000/2, para. 116. U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), “2013 Annual Report”, April 2013, p. 111. Available from http://www.uscirf.gov/reports-and-briefs/annual-report/3988-2013-annualreport.html. KBA, 2012 White Paper on Human Rights in North Korea, p. 262.