Defector says Christianity continues to grow in North Korea despite intense persecution

A North Korean defector who is assisting underground churches in the communist regime has said that Christianity continues to thrive in the country despite the intense persecution of dissenters.

Based on figures found in the U.S. State Department's latest International Religious Freedom Report, Breitbart News has found that the Christian population in North Korea saw a significant increase from 37,000 in 2012 to between 200,000 and 400,000 today.

The State Department, which gleaned the figures from data maintained by the U.N. and the Cornerstone Ministries International (CMI), has noted that the number of Christians in the communist state could be higher.

The significant increase in North Korea's Christian population was confirmed by an unnamed defector, who is now a member of the Seoul-based Worldwide Coalition to Stop Genocide in North Korea.

"In the past, the people were told to worship the Kim family as their god, but many North Koreans no longer respect Kim Jong-Un. That means they are looking for something else to sustain their faith," the defector told The Telegraph.

"In some places, that has led to the emergence of shamans, but the Christian church is also growing and deepening its roots there. Even though people know they could be sent to prison—or worse—they are still choosing to worship, and that means that more cracks are appearing in the regime and the system," he added.

However, the defector, who is actively assisting underground churches operating in North Korea, noted that the regime has intensified its persecution against people of faith.

"Officially sanctioned persecution of people for religious reasons is still there and, I would say, even stronger than before," he said.

The U.S. State Department estimated in its annual report on global religious freedom that between 80,000 and 120,000 political prisoners are believed to be held in North Korea, some of whom are imprisoned for religious reasons.

The department learned from CMI that an estimated "10-45 percent" of those imprisoned in detention camps are Christians.

The report, released by the department on Tuesday, further revealed that those who practice any form of religion in North Korea can face jail, torture, or even execution.

Christian charity Open Doors has classified North Korea in its 2017 World Watch List as the "most difficult" place in the world to be a Christian. The organization has estimated that around 70,000 Christians are currently in labor camps, and it believes that the number of believers killed or imprisoned in the regime is still increasing.