Information about religious demographics and religious freedom conditions in North Korea is difficult to confirm and often outdated. North Koreans traditionally followed Buddhism and an indigenous syncretic religious movement known as Chondoism (Religion of the Heavenly Way). The country had a sizeable Christian community before the Korean War (1950–1953), with Pyongyang known as the “Jerusalem of the East,” but successive crackdowns have shrunk the Christian population to an estimated 2 percent of the total population. Many North Koreans learn about the religion when they flee to South Korea via China. Although technically illegal, shamanism and traditional folk religion practices, such as fortunetelling, are widespread. Defectors and Refugees Defectors and refugees from North Korea are primary sources of information about religious freedom conditions in the country. In recent years, however, the number of North Koreans arriving in South Korea has decreased. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a further decrease in 2020. According to the South Korean Ministry of Unification, about 230 North Koreans defected to South Korea during the year—the lowest number in 20 years and significantly less than the 2019 figure of 1,047. The Chinese government views all North Korean refugees as illegal economic migrants and repatriates them if discovered, without regard to their risk of persecution on return. This practice stands in direct violation of China’s obligations under the 1951 United Nations (UN) Convention on Refugees and its 1967 Protocol. In addition, since 2017, Chinese authorities have expelled hundreds of South Korean missionaries, many of whom played an instrumental role in helping North Korean refugees escape. In December 2020, South Korea’s National Assembly passed a controversial law criminalizing activities that send anti-North Korea materials—including religious ones such as leaflets, Bibles, and cultural items—into North Korea by balloons. Many activists who send these materials across the border are North Korean defectors and Christian missionaries. The law has drawn criticism from human rights organizations and U.S. politicians, who have expressed concerns over the law’s impact on freedoms of expression and religion. Religious Prisoners of Conscience Given the country’s closed and isolated nature, information about specific religious and political prisoners of conscience is difficult to obtain. NGOs and rescue groups that work on North Korean human rights and refugee issues often conceal identities of North Korean individuals in order to protect them and their families from government persecution and retaliation. USCIRF continues to advocate for the release of Deacon Jang Moon Seok—also known by his Chinese name, Zhang Wen Shi—whom USCIRF adopted as a religious prisoner of conscience (RPOC). Zhang is a Chinese citizen of Korean descent. Prior to his abduction from China by North Korean agents in November 2014, Zhang provided assistance to—and shared his Christian faith with—North Koreans in China. North Korean authorities sentenced Zhang to 15 years in prison. United Nations Activity In June 2020, the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) adopted a resolution condemning “in the strongest terms the long-standing and ongoing systematic, widespread and gross human rights violations and other human rights abuses” committed by North Korea. The resolution expressed particular concerns over North Korea’s persecution of individuals and groups on religious and other grounds; “denial of the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, including the right to adopt a religion or belief”; and discrimination based on the songbun system, which includes consideration of religion. The UNHRC also called on the North Korean government to ensure the right to freedom of religion or belief. As a member of the UNHRC, South Korea supported the passage of the resolution but did not cosponsor the draft resolution. On December 16, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution condemning the “grave human rights situation” and “the lack of accountability for human rights violations” in North Korea. The General Assembly expressed specific concerns over North Korea’s imposition of the death penalty and execution of individuals on account of religion or belief; the pervasive and severe restrictions on the freedom of religion or belief; and the government’s discrimination against people based on the songbun system that includes consideration of religion. South Korea did not cosponsor this resolution. Key U.S. Policy In 2020, relations between the United States and North Korea deteriorated due to a lack of progress on security-related negotiations. The three historic summits that were held between then President Donald J. Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in 2018 and 2019 did not lead to substantive progress toward full denuclearization. Neither human rights more broadly nor religious freedom specifically were included as an integral part of those bilateral negotiations. In December, seven of the 15 members of the UN Security Council—the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Belgium, the Dominican Republic, and Estonia—requested a public briefing on human rights abuses in North Korea. After China and Russia objected to the request, the seven countries brought up the issue at a closeddoor meeting on December 11, expressing concerns that North Korea’s “human rights violations pose an imminent threat to international peace and security.” Also in December, the State Department redesignated North Korea as a CPC under IRFA and reimposed existing ongoing restrictions to which the country is already subject under Sections 402 and 409 of the Trade Act of 1974. U S C I R F – R E C O M M E N D E D F O R C O U N T R I E S O F PA R T I C U L A R C O N C E R N ( C P C ) 35 NORTH KOREA Background