Thousands of Christians in North Korea prison camps on 60th anniversary of armistice

By Stefan J. Bos (BosNewsLife Asia Service)

SEOUL/PYONGYANG — Christian rights activists used the 60th anniversary of the end of the Korean War on Saturday, July 27, to express concern over the plight of at least hundreds of thousands of Christians and other inmates in “political prison camps” across North Korea.

Advocacy group Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) said at least 200,000 people are detained in five such camps across the country.

“On this 60th anniversary of the end of the Korean War, CSW calls attention to the appalling human rights violations committed every day by the North Korean regime against its own people, including Christians who are particularly targeted for their faith,” said CSW’s Team Leader for East Asia, Benedict Rogers, told BosNewsLife.

Previously Christian aid and advocacy group Open Doors suggested that the real number of prisoners in dozens of facilities resembling concentration camps may be as high as over one million.

“The camps are complete villages,” said the Open Doors North Korea director who was only identified as ‘Brother Simon’ apparently for security reasons. Yet, despite the threat of detention and even execution thousands of Christians continue to worship in secret, rights investigators say.