Christians arrested, one executed in North Korea

RYONGCHON, North Korea — Authorities arrested two Christian women earlier this year and publicly executed one of them, human rights activists in South Korea have claimed.

Ri Hyon Ok, 33, was accused of distributing the Bible, organizing dissidents and spying for South Korea and the United States, according to the Investigative Commission On Crime Against Humanity, an alliance of anti-North Korea activists. She was executed June 16 in Ryongchon. The following day, her parents, husband and three children were sent to a political prison camp in Hoeryong.

The group also claims that in March, another Christian, Seo Kum Ok, 30, was arrested and tortured by North Korean security agents in a city near Ryongchon on allegations she was attempting to spy on a nuclear site for South Korea and the United States. Her husband was also arrested and their two children disappeared. Her fate is unknown. North Korea claims citizens have freedom of religion but the government allows only four Christian churches to operate publicly and ordinary North Koreans are not allowed to attend services.