Open Doors, July 6, 2024 (excerpts)
During his recent brief visit to North Korea, Russian leader Putin was treated to parades and shows and signed a mutual defence pact with Kim Jong-un.
Before heading on to Vietnam, Putin visited the Russian Orthodox Church, lit a prayer candle and spoke with Archbishop Theophanes, who performed a brief service. The archbishop was trained and ordained in Russia by the Russian Orthodox Church.
Such visits are meant to emphasise the strong connections between countries. The Orthodox Church in Pyongyang was constructed after Kim Jong-un’s father, the late leader Kim Jong-il, visited a church in the Russian city Irkutsk in 2002.
Putin publicly positions himself as a devout Christian and defender of the Russian Orthodox Church. This means that people from former Soviet Republics – who are usually Muslim – are often discriminated against in Russia.
Putin’s visit may also be intended to signal to an international stage that North Korea has religious freedom. This is, however, very far from the case. It is the country where Christians face the worst persecution for their faith.
There are only four official church buildings in North Korea, all located in Pyongyang – the Russian Orthodox Church, a Roman Catholic Church and 2 Protestant churches.
While these appear to suggest religious freedom, the churches are ‘showcase churches’, which only hold services when foreigners request to visit. North Korean citizens certainly would not be able to attend or worship God there.