Long consigned to the dustbin of history are the days when Pyongyang was known as the “Jerusalem of Asia.” The DPRK’s official disposition toward Christianity, however, has not prevented senior religious figures from engaging with the North Korean government.

Last week a high ranking official of the Russian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan bishop of Volokolamsk Hilarion Alfeyev paid a visit to Pyongyang. Metropolitan Hilarion, in addition to his clerical function, is in charge of the Russian Orthodox Church’s international relations.

According to a Church press release, Metropolitan Hilarion met with Kim Yong Sae, vice chairman of the Presidium of the