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🇸🇬 Singapore /Crime & Justice

North Korean Executions Rose Dramatically During Covid: Report

From The Straits Times · (10m ago) English Critical tone

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • North Korea significantly increased executions during the Covid-19 pandemic, particularly for consuming foreign culture and political offenses, according to a report.
  • The number of executions and death sentences more than doubled after the country closed its borders in January 2020, worsening human rights abuses.
  • The report, based on testimonies from defectors and media sources, indicates a rise in public executions, with many involving shootings.

A sobering report reveals that North Korea dramatically escalated executions during the Covid-19 pandemic, a period marked by extreme border closures and intensified state control. The findings, compiled by the Transitional Justice Working Group, paint a grim picture of human rights abuses within the isolated nation, particularly targeting those accused of consuming foreign media or engaging in political dissent.

the number of executions and death sentencings more than doubled in the nearly five years after the border closure, compared to the same period before it.

— Transitional Justice Working Group reportDetailing the findings on increased capital punishment in North Korea.

The report's data, drawn from hundreds of North Korean escapees and internal media networks, indicates a more than twofold increase in executions and death sentences following the January 2020 border shutdown. This surge is attributed to a crackdown on perceived threats to the regime, including the consumption of South Korean movies, dramas, and music, which saw a 250% jump in death penalty cases related to foreign culture, religion, and "superstition."

Furthermore, a significant spike in executions for political crimes, such as criticizing leader Kim Jong Un, suggests a government response to potential internal dissatisfaction or an intensification of state-sponsored violence to quell dissent. The report notes that nearly three-quarters of these executions were carried out publicly, often by firing squad, underscoring the regime's brutal methods of control.

Death penalty cases related to foreign culture, religion and “superstition” jumped by 250 per cent after the border closure.

— Transitional Justice Working Group reportHighlighting the specific offenses targeted by increased executions.

While North Korea consistently rejects international accusations of human rights abuses, labeling them as politically motivated attempts to undermine the regime, organizations like the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights have documented a worsening human rights situation. The findings from the Transitional Justice Working Group add a critical, data-driven perspective to these ongoing concerns, highlighting the severe human cost of the regime's policies, especially during the pandemic.

responding to growing internal dissatisfaction or intensifying state violence to suppress political discontent

— Transitional Justice Working Group reportSuggesting possible motives behind the spike in executions for political crimes.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Straits Times in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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