There is no religion in North Korea; I was raised to be an atheist in an atheist country. We were taught about world religions, but belief in God was something for other people. We learned about Jesus Christ, about Islam and Buddhism, and even about North Korea’s religious history. After all, Pyongyang was once known as “the Jerusalem of the East.” But there was never a “religious education” class -- we learned about religion in our general knowledge class, as part of the general world history we were taught.
We never had to be forced not to believe -- in a closed society like the DPRK, you believe what you are taught.
There is no religion in North Korea; I was raised to be an atheist in an atheist country. We were taught about world religions, but belief in God was something for other people. We learned about Jesus Christ, about Islam and Buddhism, and even about North Korea’s religious history. After all, Pyongyang was once known as “the Jerusalem of the East.” But there was never a “religious education” class -- we learned about religion in our general knowledge class, as part of the general world history we were taught.
We never had to be forced not to believe -- in a closed society like the DPRK, you believe what you are taught.
Become a member for less
than $5.75 per week.
-
Unlimited access to all of NK News: reporting, investigations,
analysis
-
The NK News Daily Update, an email newsletter to keep you in
the loop
-
Searchable archive of all content, photo galleries, special columns
-
Contact NK News reporters with tips or requests for reporting
Get unlimited access to all NK News content, including original reporting,
investigations, and analyses by our team of DPRK experts.
Subscribe
now
All major cards accepted. No commitments – you can cancel any time.