[imText1]“The matter of whether or not we can obstruct the enemy’s religious and superstitious activities is not a simple problem, but a crucial one of whether we can protect socialism or not.”
This is a citation from ‘Line of Fire Political Propaganda Note” issued by the“’Kim Il Sung Socialism Youth Alliance Central Committee.” The meaning of “Line of Fire Political Propaganda” could be taken literally that it is a propagandistic activities performed at the site. It also means an urgent matter.
The document of 200pages of which The DailyNK obtained does not only include education of warning such as issues of religion, but also unemployed wanderers, bribery, market activities. The document evidences what kind of problems the government of North Korea believes to be urgent.
What calls for most attention among them is one titled, “The Youth (Young Adults) Must Oppose to the Religious Superstitious activities and Strongly Fight Against Them.” It is an educational writing. After there have been reports through North Korean human rights organizations about 80 North Korean residents arrested for having held a secret service in Shinuiju and while American senates are on investigation for further details, the document clearly reveals the government position on the matter.
So far, North Korea had argued that it “acknowledges freedom of religion” to the outside world, but it had been educating the people to not believe in any religion all along. The writing is a five-page anti religion education text that consists of three parts; unreliability, detoxification of religion and how to deal properly against it.
Falum Gong as an Example of Superstition
The text says, “American imperialists and South Korean puppets are running crazy to disarm us ideologically, to bring destroy our on-heart-unity for revolution and bring disintegration among us. For this reason we must know correctly of absurdity in religious and superstitious activities and bring a complete end of it.”
It further writes, “Religion requires purposeless belief in God or rely your destiny in gods that has mystical power which are nonexistent and say only by doing that you can receive blessings. Even after you die, it makes you believe that your spirit can revive again, which is belief in a nonsense.”
One notable part is that it introduces Falum Gong as an example to explain superstitions.
I explains, “Falum Gong is one of the close examples, that has newly emerged in 1990s. .Some people in China believed Lee Hong Je, the establisher of Falum Gong committed collective suicide saying they want to go to heaven and when they get ill, they sit and wait for death to come instead of receiving medical treatments. For this reason, not only China but the world has recognized it as a (omit) counteraction movement, and fight against it.”
The government of China labeled Falum Gong as an “evil socializing group” after 15,000 trainees of Falum Gong held a protest to urge legalization of Falum Gong in April 25, 1999. The experts interpret the Chinese government’s persecution of Falum Gong as “the intention to root out any organized force that can compete with the communists.” It seems as though North Korea is against any organized group in any form within the nation although it may not be a political one, thus used Falum Gong as an example of religion/superstition.
The collective suicide incident seems to be referring to the incident of which CCTV, a Chinese TV, reported in January 2001 where some followers of Falum Gong wishing for path to heaven burned themselves to death collectively.
After this incident negative perception of Falum Gong widely spread among the people and the followers of Falum Gong contend that such scenes were bogus. Lee Hong Je, the establisher of Falum Gong as written in the North Korean text refer to Lee Hong Ji(Lihongzhi). Although the writing argues “not only China but the world” is against Falum Gong, but it only introduces China and in reality there is no other country than China that prohibits Falum Gong training.
Bible on Balloons, Underground Churches
Furthermore the text writes, “Although very rare, some people practice religious or superstitious activities,” which proves that despite the strict government control, there are people caught of having a religion. The next sentence, “Even among the new generations, there are some searching for fortunetellers and they complain about their destiny” further supports the defectors’ testimonies on increase of fortunetellers and those who believe in them in North Korea.
Some mission groups had been on campaign to send bibles to North Korea tied to balloons, and it seems though the campaign has been effective. Furthermore, the text also writes about missionaries sent into North Korea for the expansion of underground churches.
“Enemies are sending in bibles and other unclean recordings and work with ideologically indefinite people and do all sorts of cunning things to spread religion and superstitious beliefs.”
The text ends by writing, “We must not allow even the small elements (of religion) to settle down. The enemy’s anti-republic efforts must be destroyed and we must enforce building of a strong nation based on Juche.”
