Executions in North Korea ramped up significantly during pandemic - report
Summary
Executions in North Korea increased sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic, with at least 153 people executed or sentenced to death between 2020 and 2024. Many of these executions were for crimes related to religion, superstition, and consuming South Korean cultural content like K-dramas and K-pop, which are banned in North Korea.Key Facts
- Between 2011 and 2024, at least 358 people were executed in North Korea.
- From 2015 to 2019, executions dropped to an average of about five per year.
- From 2020 to 2024, executions rose sharply to at least 153, coinciding with North Korea closing its borders due to the pandemic.
- The most common reasons for execution included religion, superstitions, and possession of foreign cultural content such as South Korean dramas and pop music.
- Over 70% of the executions were public and mainly carried out by shooting.
- Researchers documented 46 execution sites across North Korea used during Kim Jong-un’s rule.
- The Transitional Justice Working Group, a Seoul-based NGO, gathered information from over 250 defectors in 51 locations to create the report.
- The rise in executions is linked to the regime’s effort to strengthen control over culture and ideology during a planned hereditary succession of power.
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