On the 26th (local time), the U.S. Department of State released the "2023 International Religious Freedom Report," expressing concern over North Korea's violations of religious freedom, stating that the country executes, tortures, arrests, and physically abuses individuals for religious activities.
The report stated regarding North Korea, "In 2022, the UN Secretary-General reported that 'the rights to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion continue to be denied in North Korea, and there is no alternative belief system tolerated by the authorities.' Multiple sources pointed out that the situation has not fundamentally changed since the 2014 UN Commission of Inquiry (COI) report on human rights in North Korea was published."
This implies that the 2014 COI report's findings?that North Korean authorities almost entirely deny freedom of thought, conscience, and religion and commit human rights abuses amounting to crimes against humanity?remain valid today.
It continued, "The (North Korean) government is reported to continue executing, torturing, arresting, and physically abusing individuals for religious activities," and "the U.S. government has raised concerns about religious freedom in North Korea in multiple forums and bilateral consultations with countries that maintain diplomatic relations with North Korea."
Regarding China, the report stated, "According to religious organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and international media reports, the Chinese government continues to assert control over religious groups and restricts the activities and personal freedoms of religious believers perceived as threatening the interests of the state or the Chinese Communist Party." It also introduced claims by NGOs and individuals that Chinese authorities have persecuted Falun Gong practitioners, Uyghur Muslims, and Tibetan Buddhists through physical and digital surveillance abroad, as well as by harassing and detaining their families in China.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken unusually criticized the situation in India during a press conference related to the report's release. The U.S. has long maintained a strategic partnership with India, partly to counterbalance China.
He pointed out, "In India, we see a troubling increase in laws hostile to conversion, hate speech against religious minorities, and the destruction of worship spaces and homes," citing reports from the Indian Christian community that local police have aided or tolerated mobs disrupting worship.
Regarding South Korea, the report introduced issues raised by conscientious objectors concerning the length of alternative military service due to religious beliefs, as well as opposition from some Daegu citizens to the construction of an Islamic temple.
The U.S. Department of State publishes an annual report on the status of religious freedom worldwide under the International Religious Freedom Act, which took effect in 1998. Countries that systematically suppress or violate religious freedom are designated as Countries of Particular Concern. North Korea has been designated as a Country of Particular Concern for religious freedom for 22 consecutive years through last year.
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