DPRK on alert against dissemination of Bibles

From the Daily NK:
Park Hyun Min
8/30/2006

North Korean authorities are nervous about South Korean missionaries sending the Bibles via balloons to the North.

Recently, a South Korean missionary organization obtained a (North) Korean Workers’ Party document under a title of ‘Countermeasure Against Enemy’s Evil Activities of Infiltration of the Bibles to Our Country via Balloons.’

The document, which is suggested to be distributed by the Central KWP to the provincial party organization bureau and municipal party guidance bureau, is started with a phrase ‘Here is the Party’s decision, signed by the Dear Leader Comrade Kim Jong Il on June 30, 2004.’

It is stated in the document that ‘the enemies are planning to disseminate the Bibles to brainwash our people with religious idea by means of balloons.’ Also, the document orders every party organization, as soon as it receives the document, to educate party members and workers about the text.

According to the document, ‘activities such as keeping the bible found in balloons or disseminating it are acts of treason,’ and ‘education of the people not to participate in treacherous activities is to be carried out aggressively.’

The document proves North Korea’s anti-religious policy that has been continued since Kim Il Sung’s instruction of criticism on religion for being ‘reactionary and unscientific one that paralyzes class consciousness.’

Moreover, the document articulates “every Party cell must do interim assessment on its activity follow our Great General (Kim Jong Il)’s June 30 instruction against the enemy’s vile plan to distribute small radios and July 17 instruction against the enemy’s plot to disseminate religion to our country via balloons.”

This is the third document containing anti-religious message from North Korea since Kim Il Sung Socialist Youth League Central Committee’s anti-religious education material reported by DailyNK last October, and the lecture document on ‘fight against the enemy’s plot to spread religion inside’ released by Good Friends, a Buddhist human rights organization in Seoul, this April.

Even though it is revealed through a series of such inside documents that North Korean regime is violating religious freedom, the country has been advertising its religious freedom to the outside. Last year when the Untied States pointed out North Korea’s suppression of religion, Pyongyang promptly responded with a statement, criticizing rather the United States is the worst violator of religious freedom.

Despite North Korea’s harsh policy against religion, ‘bible distribution movement’ and ‘radio distribution movement’ by South Korean human rights organizations and missionaries are effective to some extent and North Korean regime seems on alert over those activities.

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