United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres presented a new report, Situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, to the 81st session of the UN General Assembly at the UN Headquarters in New York on 22 September 2026. In the report, which covers the period 1 June 2025 to 31 May 2026, he says that the human rights situation in North Korea has deteriorated in many respects over the past decade and calls for those responsible for human rights violations to be investigated and punished.
The Secretary-General states, “The deteriorating human rights situation in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea continues to be a cause for serious concern, including the expanded use of the death penalty, continued use of political prison camps, widespread arbitrary detention, failure to address torture and ill-treatment and institutionalised forced labour… The current trajectory in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea risks bringing further suffering to a population that has endured so much for decades.”
For many years North Korea has been seen as the most difficult country in which to be a Christian, and this is borne out by two further reports: a comprehensive assessment of the situation of human rights in the country since 2014 which was presented by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to the Human Rights Council in September 2025 (and was quoted extensively in António Guterres’ report); and the Bible Access List 2026, published by the Bible Access Initiative (a collaborative of Bible agencies and mission partners).
Report of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
The report of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights examined the situation since the major 2014 report of the UN Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and assessed the implementation of the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry. It concluded that, “despite some extremely limited improvements, the overall human rights situation has deteriorated in many respects over the past ten years“.
Commenting on the suppression of religion, the High Commissioner’s report stated, “The Constitution of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea formally refers to religion as a possible ‘pretext for drawing in foreign forces or for harming the State or social order’ (art. 68). Restrictions on religious activities have not softened over the past decade. Since 2018, crackdowns against shamanism and other practices, such as predicting the future and identifying burial sites for religious purposes, have intensified. For example, in 2018 a man from South Hamgyong Province was sentenced to life imprisonment for identifying such burial sites. Contact with Christians outside the country has led to severe punishment upon repatriation.”
Bible Access List 2026
The Bible Access List assesses 106 countries and examines barriers to access and also shortages among Christians who want a Bible. It states that more than 500 million Christians worldwide face access restrictions, while socioeconomic barriers put Bibles beyond the reach of millions more.
In its 2026 report the Bible Access List states, “In North Korea, every dimension of Bible access is prohibited. Christians are treated as enemies of the state, and a Bible discovered in a routine house search can mean execution or a life sentence in a forced labour camp.”
It explains that Christians rely on memorised Scripture – sometimes heard on radio broadcasts listened to secretly at night – because a physical Bible is too dangerous to keep, and states: “Even possessing a Bible, discovered during routine house searches, can lead to immediate execution or a one-way ticket to [concentration] camps. The same applies to anyone identified as a Christian, whether through foreign Christian media or simple acts such as praying before a meal… Across every dimension of Bible access (importing, printing, storing, owning, distributing, or accessing Scripture online), the answer is the same: prohibited.”
The report describes a Bible found in a North Korean home as “evidence of treason” and continues, “And the punishment does not stop with the person who owns it. A single discovery can send an entire family to a prison camp. Children. Parents. Siblings. All of them, for one Bible found in one room.”
Explaining that the regime views religious belief, particularly Christianity, as a direct threat, the report states, “The 2020 Anti-Reactionary Thought Law has reinforced what has long been true in practice. The Bible is explicitly banned, and possession is a criminal offense. Security forces conduct searches and raids, and those found with Christian materials face severe punishment, including imprisonment or worse.”
Read Church in Chains’ North Korea Country Profile.
(UN, Bible Access List, Christian Daily)
Map: Church in Chains Global Guide