북한 종교인가족의 존재양식에 관한 고찰: 기독교를 중심으로

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to establish an understanding of the modes in which the so-called “religious families” exist and operate within North Korea at present. To this end, the historical background of how these families were formed and how their activities were carried out following the emergence of the socialist government will be analyzed in depth. This paper reexamines from a critical perspective the view that religious activity in North Korea serves solely as a means for the state to attract foreign currency or to display conditions of religious freedom to the outside world. The purpose of this study is not to deny that the management and organization of religion in North Korea occurs according to state mobilization, but rather to gain a deeper understanding of how state mobilization of religion is actually carried out and who is involved in these efforts. Based on detailed analysis of North Korean defectors, this paper seeks to show that the “religious families” in North Korea, as major participants in both the formal and informal spheres of religious activity, are a key component of North Korea’s religion. After the Korean War, and in particular the severe persecution of religion of 1958, religious communities of North Korea experienced a collapse in organization, having to subsist in the form of individual practice or small-scale gatherings among family and relatives. In the years following 1972, some of these “religious families” were mobilized by the state as officially recognized organizations. The 1980s saw a revitalization of state-sponsored religious activity and the separate family worship services in accordance with external publicity purposes as well as the domestic social needs. Afterwards, following the food crisis of 1995, religious participation became concentrated in the activity of so-called “underground churches.” As a result, “religious families” in North Korea today can be found existing in one of the following three modes: first, as very loosely formed communities centered on the individual or relations among family and relatives; second, as active members of state-sponsored religious organizations; or third, in pursuit of organized religious activity in the context of underground churches. From this perspective, it can be concluded that the “religious families” of North Korea are key players with a central role in the country’s religious sphere.