North Korea has reportedly arrested 23 Christians who were meeting at a house church in Pyongan province and executed three leaders of the group. Confirmation of the incident also came from the North Korea Intellectual Solidarity, a group of North Korean exiles, AsiaNews reports.
According to the sources, the arrests and executions were carried out in mid-May.
“At that time, right after the disastrous currency reform, police discovered 23 Christians in Kuwal-dong, Pyungsung County, in Pyongan Province, who met at an underground church. After their arrest, they were interrogated at length. Eventually, the group’s “ringleaders” were sentenced to death and executed. The others were sent to Kwan-li-so (Penal labour colony) No 15 in Yodŏk.”
These North Koreans discovered underground Christianity when some of them travelled to mainland China for work, AsiaNews says.
Sources told AsiaNews that in North Korea there are “no more than 200 Catholics left, all very old”.
SIC: CTHAS