Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the level of repression of Christians in North Korea.
Answered on
13 May 2019
The UK continues to have grave concerns over the repression of Christians in North Korea. The Bishop of Truro’s interim report as part of his independent review into Christian persecution cites a number of reports on the different forms of persecution faced by North Koreans who seek to practise Christianity outside of state-controlled organisations. There is nothing to indicate the situation is getting better. We raised the lack of freedom of religious belief with the North Korean authorities during their Universal Periodic Review on 9 May. We will continue working with our international partners in the Human Rights Council and elsewhere to hold the North Korean government to account. We continue to urge North Korea to engage positively with the international community on this issue, including through our Embassy in Pyongyang.