Fake underground churches expose North Korean Christians - news agency

The North Korean government is reportedly setting up fake underground churches and disguising national security agents as defectors to expose Christians, reported a North Korea-focused online news agency.

The Daily NK, established by long-time activists who have been working to change North Korea, claims that a portion of underground churches existing in North Korea are disguised churches controlled by North Korea's National Security Agency.

"The fact that North Korea government formed a fake underground church with National Security Agency agents was revealed as the truth," an inside source told the Daily NK.

According to the source, NSA agents disguise themselves as defectors and approach Korean church organisations based in China to receive Bibles and money.

After they receive funds by claiming to church organisations that they are engaging in mission activities, they start up secret churches beginning with NSA agents and then concentrate their efforts to arrest real secret churches connected with China.

The Daily NK's inside source said they verified this fact with an NSA-related member. Among NSA agents, the operation is an open secret.

The fake underground church is receiving funds from Korean churches that do not know the reality of the situation, the inside source claimed.

If the Korean church is not stricter about the security regarding the underground church support project and underground church member circumstances then they will fill up the stomachs of NSA agents and cause damage to the underground church, the source added.

North Korea, one of the most repressive regimes in the world, has been criticised for the systemic, widespread and serious violations of human rights that reportedly take place in the country as well as the government's refusal to cooperate with the UN human rights commissioner or special investigator.

The communist state has also been criticised for its all pervasive and severe restrictions on freedom of expression, religion, assembly and movement, its imposition of the death penalty for political reasons, the detention of thousands in prison camps, the punishment and torture of border-crossers, and the maltreatment of people with disabilities.

North Korea is ranked by the international ministry Open Doors as the world's worst persecutor of Christians.