In a shocking move, North Korea has arrested and possibly executed nine Christians.
In an unusual move, the National Security Service of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea held a press conference in Pyongyang, announcing the arrests of the nine Christians. Government officials claimed the Christians, who operated a photography studio, were actually foreign spies and native citizens working for a foreign intelligence service. North Korean-based sources with Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) said the Christians were not spies, but could have been targeted for their beliefs.
VOM spokesman Todd Nettleton says following Jesus can come at a steep price in North Korea. "Our suspicion is that the government learned that they were Christians, and then began to take a closer look at them when they discovered this camera equipment," he says. "Apparently, they thought [that] somehow, they were leaking information out of North Korea, instead of simply [being] people who were involved in a photography business."
Sources for VOM said the Christians were operating the photography studio in order to make ends meet, and had registered their business with the appropriate government authorities. However, sources do not know where the nine are being held, and Nettleton says it is possible they have already been tried and executed.
