North Korean dictator bans Christmas, orders celebration of grandmother's life instead

North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un reportedly banned Christmas in the hermit country and ordered to celebrate the birthday of his grandmother, Kim Jong-suk, instead.

Jong-suk, whom Jong Un never met, was born on Christmas Eve in 1919. She was the wife of Kim II-sung, North Korea's first communist dictator and the mother of former leader King Jong II. Her efforts as an anti-Japanese guerilla cemented her status as a hero figure in the communist country, earning the title "Sacred Mother of the Revolution. Jong-suk passed away in 1949 under mysterious circumstances.

Now, her grandson wants to dedicate Christmas day to celebrating her life instead of Jesus Christ's. According to The Sun, workers get a day off to observe her birthday. Many North Koreans visit her tomb, while small-scale events paying tribute to her are held around the country.

The supreme leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) reportedly has an aversion to Christmas trees. In 2014, South Korea halted plans to erect a huge Christmas Tree along the border due to the threat of an all-out war with North Korea, The New York Post reported.

North Korea has no official religion, making it an atheist state. For 15 years, it has been dubbed as the worst place to be a Christian, according to Open Doors' World Watch List. Open Doors, a non-profit organization supporting persecuted Christians worldwide, estimates that 25 percent of Christians in the hermit country live in prison camps.

As the mere act of having a Bible in one's possession is punishable by death, many Christian parents hide their faith even from their children to reduce the risk of being caught. Meanwhile, Christian gatherings are held in secret.

"We would have to meet in the woods to have fellowship," one North Korean Christian told Open Doors, adding, "But we were so thankful to have the time together and to grow together!"