Christian persecution in North Korea is harsh and severe. This video gives a view of what living in that totalitarian state is like, not just for Christians, for for everyone.
Dictators are right to fear genuine Christianity. The Gospels lift people up and make them free. The Gospels say that every human being is made in the Image and Likeness of God. Totalitarian states cannot operate if that vision catches hold. That is why totalitarian states seek to either eradicate Christianity or to control it with bribes and threats.
Genuine Christians, like the Pastor and others described here, can’t be controlled or stopped because they know that their destiny does not lie in the hands of the government or in this world. They understand that they are immortal souls, destined for eternal life. Pain in this world is real and it hurts. But the only thing to really fear is losing your soul. Dying for Christ means you are giving up something you can not keep anyway for that which can never be lost.