(LEAD) N. Korea among 8 worst countries in religious freedom: State Dept.

(ATTN: ADDS Rice's remarks in paras 4-5)
By Hwang Doo-hyong
WASHINGTON, Sept. 19 (Yonhap) -- North Korea is among the eight worst countries in terms of religious freedom, a U.S. State Department report said Friday.

Also listed as countries of particular concern are Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Uzbekistan. North Korea has been designated for eight consecutive years since 2001.


The North Korea section of the report, based on statistics and eyewitness
accounts collected for the year ending June 30, said, "Although the Constitution
provides for 'freedom of religious belief,' genuine religious freedom does not
exist. There was no change in the extremely poor level of respect for religious
freedom during the reporting period."
In a press conference to mark the release of the report, Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice said, "The U.S. government remains very concerned about the
atrocious religious freedom conditions in the country, and we urge the regime to
respect the rights of its people."
"North Korea remains among the world's most egregious violators of religious
freedom," Rice said. "The cult of personality surrounding the ruling family
remains an important ideological underpinning of the regime, at times resembling
tenets of a state religion."
Kim Jong-il is still believed to be in firm control of the world's most reclusive
state due to the personality cult-based leadership built over decades, despite
recent reports of his failing health following major brain surgery.
"The government severely restricts religious freedom, including organized
religious activity, except that which is supervised tightly by officially
recognized groups linked to the government," according to the report. "Services
at state-authorized churches appeared staged and contained political content
supportive of the regime."
The report quoted several North Korean defectors as saying they had "witnessed
the arrests and execution of members of underground Christian churches by the
regime in prior years."
It is estimated that between 150,000 to 200,000 North Koreans are being held in
political prison camps in remote areas, many for religious reasons.
"Prison conditions are harsh; torture and starvation are common," the report
noted. "Refugees and defectors who had been in prison stated that prisoners held
on the basis of their religious beliefs generally were treated worse than other
inmates."
In contrast, the report said of South Korea that the country guarantees "the
generally free practice of religion."
"The law at all levels protects this right in full against abuse, either by
governmental or private actors," it said. "There is no state religion, and the
government does not subsidize or otherwise favor a particular religion. The
Constitution requires the separation of church and state."
On religious demographics, South Korea -- with a population of 49 million,
according to 2005 census data -- has 22.8 percent Buddhists, 18.3 percent
Protestants and 10.9 percent Roman Catholics.
The report said it did not have any official figures for the membership of other
religions, such as Jehovah's Witnesses, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints (Mormons), the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Daesun Jinrihoe, the
Unification Church, and Islam.
hdh@yna.co.kr
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