To put it mildly, relations between South and North Korea are very frosty. Recently, the South Korean military decided to light a Christmas tree where the North Koreans could see the tree. At the very top of the tree is a bright cross. The North Koreans are upset about the lighting of the tree and have labeled the cross as religious propaganda. The North has demanded the South to take the lights down and have threatened to attack the tree if necessary.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqpH3MYQhco

First thing you have to know about the North Koreas is that they are deeply suspicious of Christianity. Since Christianity was a religion introduced to Korea from the West, the North Koreans worry that Christianity will become a tool to eradicate Korean values. If you look at the emphasis of Christianity, Jesus not Kim Jong Il, is the supreme lord over everything. As a result, Kim Jong Il is concerned that Christian beliefs may supplant and challenge his authority as the leader of North Korea.

When Christian missionaries first came to Korea (this was before the geographical division between North and South Korea) in the 1590s to the 1780s, Christianity was very unpopular among the Korean populace. There were several Korean Christians that were beheaded for practicing the Christian faith. Most Christian Koreans practiced in secret because they would be tortured by the authorities if they were caught.

It was in the 1800s that Christianity began to flourish in Korea. One of the reasons why Christianity became popular among the Korean people was because the missionaries from the West offered Korean peasants a chance to read and write. In those days the only people that were literate were the priests and nobles. Christian values were also more egalitarian, which provided the peasant class some hope in a heavily divided Korean society. Even with all these strides, Buddhism continued to dominate the religious sphere in Korea.

It wasn’t until the 1960s and 70s, that South Korea desired a strong economic alliance with the U.S. This led to the learning of English and the import of American culture, like Christianity. Hence, South Korea has been more accepting of Christianity than North Korea.