Communist regimes did not have much sympathy toward religion, which according to Marx is nothing else but “opium” for the people. However, most communist leaders grudgingly tolerated the existence of religious institutions and associated beliefs, if for no other reason than pragmatism.

But North Korea is unique in this regard. From the mid-1950s through the 1980s, it successfully suppressed all religious activity inside the country.  The major targets of their campaigns were established churches -- Christian and Buddhist places of worship.