From the Jerusalem of the East to a Totalitarian Regime: North Korea’s History Behind Christian Persecution

By Rebecca Pankratz, HRNK Research Intern
Edited by Rosa Park, HRNK Director of Programs and Editor, and Sophia Hapin, HRNK Research Intern

January 21, 2021

It is astonishing that Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, was once called the “Jerusalem of the East” for historically being one of the largest contributors to the spread of Christianity throughout Korea in 1907.[1] This movement led to the conversion and rededication of thousands of people to the Christian faith, which made North Korea one of the main places for Christian seminaries and teachers in Asia. Today, the reality of Pyongyang is quite different. It is now controlled by a regime that sees religion, especially Christianity, as a threat to the worship of its leaders and to their communist party.

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