Repatriated North Koreans who read the Bible or met with Christians sent to prison camps

It’s emerged that a group of refugees forcibly returned to North Korea from China last year have been sent to political prison camps. Meanwhile, Kim Jong-un continues to reassert his authority, making it even harder for the country’s Christians.

There are believed to be 50-70,000 Christians imprisoned for their faith in North Korea

At least ten of the more than 200 refugees who were forcibly returned to North Korea from China last year have been sent to political prison camps because they read the Bible, met with Christians, or tried to reach South Korea.

According to an anonymous source speaking to NK Today, they were detained and interrogated for three months before being sent to political camps. 

“Christians are considered Western and South Korean spies by the North Korean authorities,” says Simon Lee*, an Open Doors fieldworker for ministry among North Koreans. “That’s why they are fiercely persecuted. One of the main tasks during interrogations of imprisoned defectors is to find out if they have been to church, read the Bible or met with Christians in China.”

Little hope of release

“When I was arrested in China, it was because I wanted to attend a secret meeting with Christian North Korean women,” says So Young*, whose story is not dissimilar to what any Christians repatriated last year might be facing. “I knew I had to lie and stick with my lie that I wasn’t a Christian and that I came there by accident. I would be severely tortured and probably be sent to a camp with no chance of a release. Instead, I was sentenced to three years in a re-education camp.”

So Young was detained in a Kwo-hwa-so, or what’s generally termed a ‘revolutionary zone’, which is where detainees receive an ‘ideological education’ whilst doing forced labour. These are for ‘less serious’ crimes. Two years after her release, So Young again escaped to China and she now lives in South Korea. 

But for many Christians – including any amongst the group recently sent to political prison camps – there is little hope of release. They are in what’s called a Kwan-li-so – a ‘total control zone’. Prisoners are considered ‘enemies of the state’ and beyond the protection of the law. If not secretly executed, they endure lives of unending physical and psychological torture, hunger and labour. They may even be used for chemical tests.  

China agrees to further repatriations

There are reports that North Korea and China have made further agreements about repatriating more North Korean refugees, with North Koreans living near the Chinese border warned that defectors will be punished harshly. The authorities will not make a distinction between those who went to China with the intention of coming back and those whose plan was to disappear to South Korea.

“Before the pandemic, China used to send many refugees back”, says Simon Lee. “When the Covid-19 crisis unfolded, the borders closed and China left those already within in its borders alone. This has visibly changed. In 2024 already hundreds of people have been handed over into the cruel hands of the North Korean regime.”

He adds that this will have an impact on the underground church in the country. “An important part of the growth of the North Korean church comes from these refugees who take back the gospel,” he says. “However, not in the big numbers as before. Crossing the border illegally is much harder and much more dangerous than it used to be. You will need a reliable broker to begin with and you pay him or her a fortune to guide you over the border. Even then you can still get arrested.”

Kim Jong-un reasserts authority

News of the group’s fate comes amidst a subtle but significant change by its brutal leader, Kim Jong-un. Last month, North Korea celebrated the birthday of its founder Kim Il-sung, a day traditionally known as “The Day of the Sun”. However, this year state media hardly used that term. “Most likely, Kim Jong-un wants to be named ‘the Sun’,” says Simon Lee. “He wants to claim this important title for himself, so that he’ll be regarded as a leader who is just as important or even more important than his grandfather.”

This coincides with the introduction of a new song called “Friendly Father”, which opens with the words, “Let’s sing of Kim Jon-un, our great leader. Let’s boast of Kim Jon-un, our friendly father.” Given that Kim Il-sung is known as the father of North Korea, the song is likely another attempt by Kim Jong-un to reassert his authority.

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This could well stem from growing discontent among North Koreans. “The people don’t believe the lies of the government anymore,” says Simon Lee. “Perhaps that’s one reason why the intensity of propaganda is increased. To control the citizens, Kim Jong-un must bombard them with indoctrination materials. Another tactic is to keep the people busy from morning to evening, and from Monday to Sunday. ‘Don’t give the people opportunity to think’ could have been their slogan.”

Kim Jong-un continues to tighten his grip – and that makes life even harder for our North Korean family. “The extensive surveillance system makes it dangerous to have secret church services, and sharing the gospel with the next generation is extremely risky, too,” adds Simon Lee. “Under Kim Jong-un life has become even harder. More propaganda, more control and harsher punishments.”

*Names changed for security reasons