North Korea

NORTH KOREA

A. THE COUNTRY

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, in Asia, occupies the larger
part of the Korean peninsula.  About 70% of the land area is
mountainous.  The Communist dictator presides over one of the most
repressive regimes in the world.  North Korea is probably the most
centralized and most isolated economy in the world.  It is in rapid
decline due to costly attempts to become a nuclear power, high military
expenditure and falling agricultural yield.  Profits from a worldwide
network of illicit drugs, cigarettes, counterfeit money and gambling
establishments are drying up.  It is the world’s number one seller of
missiles.  The fortified border between North and South Korea is one of
the most impenetrable in the world, watched by a huge military force.

B. THE PEOPLE

The population is ~23,991,000 and the language is Korean.
99.8% are Korean and 0.2% are Chinese.  There are chronic food shortages
and widespread malnutrition and the country is heavily dependent on aid.
Much of the aid does not get to the people as it is diverted to the
dictator’s inner circle and the military.

C. RELIGIONS AND CHRISTIANITY

The only acceptable religion is Cheondogyo, or “Kim II-Sung-ism”, the
cult of the deceased leader.  All other religions are harshly repressed.
Hundreds of thousands of Christians have died because of persecution,
and today, up to 100,000 are in prisons or work camps.  The true number
of Christians is unknown, and very little is known about the underground
church, so all figures given are estimates.
~69.3% are Non-religious, ~15.5% Ethnoreligionist, ~13.2% Other, ~1.48%
claim Christianity, ~0.4% Buddhist.
In the Christian category:
~1.27% are Independent, ~0.17% Catholic, ~0.04% Protestant.
Evangelicals represent ~1% and charismatics represent ~0.5% of the
population.

Donna Siemens

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org

Operation World, Jason Mandryk. Colorado Springs: Biblica Publishing, 2010.