North Korean reality isn't funny for Christians: Column

The film The Interview has made headlines, not for its success or failure at the box office, but rather because it angered the wrong guy. The comedy's plot is simple: two bumbling tabloid reporters are asked by U.S. officials to kill North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un during a scheduled interview. As expected, when Kim learned of the film, he was not amused.

The response from North Korea was, as is typical of the regime, oppressive. The FBI confirmed that North Korea was behind the cyber hacks designed to intimidate the executives at Sony and the threats of a terror attack against potential theatergoers. In true dictatorial fashion, North Korea decided to suppress rather than persuade. And it worked, at least for a while.

After theater chains decided they would not show the film in order to protect their customers' safety, Sony announced that it would cancel the planned Christmas Day release of the film, only to change their minds again. It is an unfunny end to what was supposed to be a comedy.

Know what else isn't funny? The Kim regime's treatment of North Korea's Christians.

Now North Korea isn't a great place to live for anyone who disagrees with the Kim regime. Human rights groups estimate that more than 200,000 people are imprisoned in North Korea for having political or religious views contrary to those of Supreme Leader Kim. And while every one of these prisoners' lives matter, North Korea's treatment of Christians is what earned it the top spot on the Open Doors World Watch List 12 years in a row.

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It is ironic that a film about North Korea would have even been scheduled to appear on Christmas Day given that North Koreans do not have the freedom to celebrate Christmas or any other religious holiday.

But regardless of whether North Korea is ranked number one on the 2015 World Watch List, to be released on January 7th, or descends lower on the list, one thing is certain: the situation for Christians in the communist nation remains dire. According to our partners working in secret in North Korea, there are between 50,000-70,000 Christians imprisoned in labor camps.

Christians in North Korea face unimaginable pressure in every sphere of life. Forced to meet only in secret, they dare not share their faith even with their families. Anyone discovered engaging in secret religious activity may be subject to arrest, disappearance, torture and even public execution. And, to heap cruelty on top of cruelty, the families of Christians — even if they are not believers themselves — are often subjected to persecution as well.

The very nature of the Kim regime — its suppression of outside ideas, control over its people and restriction of outside visitors — is what keeps the West from gaining a clear picture of North Korean oppression and persecution. That's the reason that North Korea isn't leading the nightly news or making headlines every day. But though there is no video footage to live stream from the work camps, the persecution of Christians that happens every day in North Korea is very real.

You might think that, after more than 60 yearsof active suppression of religion and persecution of believers, Christianity would be disappearing in North Korea. You would be wrong. Christianity continues to grow, as North Korean Christians risk their lives to share the message of Jesus Christ. Their faith serves as an inspiration to many Western Christians who enjoy freedoms their North Korean counterparts have never known — freedom to worship openly, freedom to read the Bible publicly and freedom to celebrate Christmas and other faith-filled holidays.

I leave it to others to debate the quality and appropriateness of The Interview and the wisdom of Sony's decision to pull the film. But if it gets people in America thinking about North Korea and the persecution of Christians, then the film has served a purpose — even if few ever see it.

David Curry is the president of Open Doors USA. Each January, Open Doors announces its World Watch List, a ranking of the 50 countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian.

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