Religious Discrimination in North Korea by Megan Carpenter

Religious Discrimination in North Korea by Megan Carpenter https://padlet.com/carpenterm5/8asbwoqbq1a4 Social Justice Project en-us 2019-01-22 16:52:41 UTC 2025-04-01 15:22:47 UTC hello@padlet.com A. What is the problem and what are the root causes of the problem? carpenterm5 https://padlet.com/carpenterm5/8asbwoqbq1a4/wish/323099253 The main problem is religious discrimination. People are killed and tortured for being a different religion. It’s estimated that between 80,000 and 120,000 are held, prisoners. People are held in political prison camps. As you can see in image number 3 people are taken to concentration camps in harsh ways. What’s more, the North Korean constitution states that all people have the right to religious freedom. North Korea especially discriminates Christians and there are around 70,000 Christian prisoners. All Christians are thought of as bad with no exceptions. Some quotes that further prove how strict and watchful North Korea is are, “the walls have eyes and the fields have ears” and it’s known as “the hermit kingdom.” There is also a “vigorous crackdown” on Christians. I would say the root of the problem is the government, the North Korean Government is infamous for being incredibly strict and they are no different when it comes to religion.

]]> 2019-01-22 16:55:39 UTC https://padlet.com/carpenterm5/8asbwoqbq1a4/wish/323099253 B. How has the problem affected the community directly? carpenterm5 https://padlet.com/carpenterm5/8asbwoqbq1a4/wish/323101269 How it specifically relates to the community is that Christians inside the community are not able to practice their religion. They have also been tricked into concentration camps and they are always in danger. Children are tricked into turning their parents in and the Christians inside the community are fearful for their life. They are considered hostile and they are arrested, tortured and go through many other horrible things. Before more than a fifth of North Korea's population was Christian but that number is decreasing rapidly. Also as you can see by images 1 and 2 a significant portion of the population in North Korea is Christian. To reiterate how Christians within the community were treated, the others thought of them as the "opium of the people."

]]> 2019-01-22 16:58:35 UTC https://padlet.com/carpenterm5/8asbwoqbq1a4/wish/323101269 C. Why should the rest of the world be concerned about these issues? carpenterm5 https://padlet.com/carpenterm5/8asbwoqbq1a4/wish/323109635 They should care because people are dying. Death is a horrible thing and albeit everyone dies no one should have to face it unjustly or by the hands of another human. Additionally, other countries around the world have the right to freedom of religion so we should make sure everyone has the same rights as us. Also, religious discrimination has the potential to spread to other countries if not stopped. Furthermore, a lot of world leaders have spoken out about these issues so if our leaders care that probably means we should as well. Also, other countries have similar issues in religious discrimination including Syria and other countries. All in all, I think that the rest of the world should care about this issue because it is a problem and people are getting hurt

]]> 2019-01-22 17:11:41 UTC https://padlet.com/carpenterm5/8asbwoqbq1a4/wish/323109635 D. What is currently being done to address this problem? carpenterm5 https://padlet.com/carpenterm5/8asbwoqbq1a4/wish/323962250 There is not a lot of things being done to help this problem right now. The main thing though is that the people are still fighting the government and not giving up. As depicted in image 4 the Christian people in North Korea are still trying to live life as normal. Another thing is that people are bringing Christian faith from other countries to try and keep the Christian religion alive in North Korea. Also, people are trying to change the government to make them change their ways and be more accepting of different faiths. Additionally, activist groups are fighting for religious freedom in North Korea such as the Korea risk group and the world hero. In fact, the founder of world hero Vernon Brewer spoke out on the religious discrimination in North Korea. In conclusion, although not many action steps are being taken in getting religious freedom in North Korea there are still people that are fighting.

]]> 2019-01-24 15:29:17 UTC https://padlet.com/carpenterm5/8asbwoqbq1a4/wish/323962250 E. Creative Piece carpenterm5 https://padlet.com/carpenterm5/8asbwoqbq1a4/wish/323973117 Dear Journal,

I woke up that morning and got ready for school. My mother took me to school and I walked in. I sat down in the classroom and the day began. It went normally but at the end of the day my teacher called me up to her desk. "I have a very special task for you," she said. I looked at her question-ally and she continued speaking, "there is a book that I think your parents might own, if you can find it and bring it to me I will give a reward" I was ecstatic when she said the word reward and desperately wanted it. My teacher explained to me what the book looked like and I was determined to find it. That night I lay in bed and waited until my parents went to sleep, then I crawled out of bed and searched through my house to find the book. After a long time of looking, I finally found it, I was so excited! I carried the book up to my room lay back in bed and fall asleep. The next morning I go to school as usual, but with the book in my backpack. When I get to school I go up to my teacher's desk and hand her the book. She hands me a piece of candy and I am so excited! I finish the day and go home. When I get there my parents are gone. I was confused at first and then scared. Who would do this? I sat alone for a while terrified but unsure what to do. Then men come up grab me and take me away.

yours truly,
Kim

]]> 2019-01-24 15:45:16 UTC https://padlet.com/carpenterm5/8asbwoqbq1a4/wish/323973117 Works Cited carpenterm5 https://padlet.com/carpenterm5/8asbwoqbq1a4/wish/323985438 Fox News. “North Korea Tortures, Kills Religious People: State Department Report.” New York Post, New York Post, 16 Aug. 2017, nypost.com/2017/08/16/north-korea-tortures-kills-religious-people-state-department-report/.

McKay, Hollie. “North Korea: How Christians Survive in the World's Most Anti-Christian Nation.” Fox News, FOX News Network, www.foxnews.com/world/north-korea-how-christians-survive-in-the-worlds-most-anti-christian-nation.

Reports, Staff. “Center for Global Justice & North Korean Human Rights.” BORGEN, 16 Mar. 2017, www.borgenmagazine.com/global-center-justice-convenes-summit-north-korean-human-rights/.

jaeyoungshin93. “Religion | JOINUS WORLD - Q&A.” Joinusworld, 13 July 2016, www.joinusworld.org/qa/2598-religion/.

]]> 2019-01-24 16:02:46 UTC https://padlet.com/carpenterm5/8asbwoqbq1a4/wish/323985438 carpenterm5 https://padlet.com/carpenterm5/8asbwoqbq1a4/wish/324339918 3.. People in North Korea being taken away.]]> 2019-01-25 14:55:32 UTC https://padlet.com/carpenterm5/8asbwoqbq1a4/wish/324339918 carpenterm5 https://padlet.com/carpenterm5/8asbwoqbq1a4/wish/324340494 1. This shows that a large portion of people in North Korea are Christian]]> 2019-01-25 14:56:33 UTC https://padlet.com/carpenterm5/8asbwoqbq1a4/wish/324340494 carpenterm5 https://padlet.com/carpenterm5/8asbwoqbq1a4/wish/324961404 2. Another graph showing that the population of christians in North Korea is great]]> 2019-01-28 15:09:32 UTC https://padlet.com/carpenterm5/8asbwoqbq1a4/wish/324961404 carpenterm5 https://padlet.com/carpenterm5/8asbwoqbq1a4/wish/324961983 4. This picture shows how Christians live in North Korea]]> 2019-01-28 15:10:27 UTC https://padlet.com/carpenterm5/8asbwoqbq1a4/wish/324961983