The flow of news and Christian content into North Korea has been sharply reduced, with six US and South Korean radio stations, including Radio Free Asia, Voice of the People, and Echo of Hope, shut down over the last three months.
The closures cut 348 hours of weekly broadcasts, leaving citizens further isolated from outside information.
Timothy Cho, North Korean escapee and spokesperson for Open Doors UK, told Premier that out of all of the persecuted countries, North Korea may be the harshest when it comes to the gospel, saying: "Yemen, Iran and all of those highly persecuted countries are able to communicate with their family memers on Zoom and even share the gospel, but North Korea is the only country who is not able to share any social media gospel, or even scriptures or prayers."
The restrictions follow South Korea’s efforts to ease tensions under President Lee Jae Myung, including cracking down on cross-border materials such as Bibles, films, and leaflets.
Last month, six Americans were arrested for attempting to send water bottles containing Bibles and USB drives into the country.
North Korea remains one of the world’s most closed nations. Possession of foreign media or religious texts can lead to severe punishments, including imprisonment or death, and even family members may be jailed for unknowingly possessing contraband.
Kim Jong-Un’s sister released a statement calling some of the accusations "nothing but unfounded, unilateral conjecture and a vile scheme to manipulate public opinion."
Cho added: "This is not something unusual. She often appears to be using quite provocative words. She often describes us, escapees as human scum and traitors".