The United Nations has reported an increase in brutal executions in North Korea under the leadership of Kim Jong-Un, with many punishments linked to the viewing and sharing of foreign films and TV shows. The reclusive regime has also been enforcing forced labor camps and tightening restrictions on the freedoms of its citizens.
According to investigators from the UN Human Rights Office, North Korea has significantly intensified control over all aspects of its citizens’ lives over the last decade. The report highlights the unprecedented level of restrictions placed on the North Korean population, with routine surveillance becoming more widespread. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, warned that if these conditions persist, North Koreans will face further suffering, repression, and fear.
Based on interviews with over 300 defectors from North Korea, the report reveals a rise in the use of the death penalty, with new laws introduced since 2015 allowing for more frequent executions. One of the offenses leading to execution is the consumption and sharing of foreign media content, as Kim Jong Un aims to limit exposure to the outside world. Escapees reported an increase in executions related to the distribution of foreign content since 2020.
Public executions by firing squads are carried out as a deterrent, aiming to instill fear and discourage violations of the law. Testimonies from defectors, such as Kang Gyuri, recount instances where individuals were executed for possessing South Korean content. The report also highlights the escalation of forced labor practices in North Korea over the past decade.
The report further exposes atrocities within political prison camps in North Korea, where detainees face life imprisonment and potential disappearance. While some improvements have been noted, including a slight decrease in guard violence, severe human rights violations continue to persist in these facilities.
Since assuming power in 2011, Kim Jong-Un has pursued nuclear weapons development, despite the ongoing hardships faced by the North Korean population, including famines and widespread suffering. The regime has also engaged in conflicts abroad, sending soldiers to fight in Ukraine alongside Russian forces as mercenaries.
North Korea remains in a technical state of war with South Korea, with a heavily militarized border separating the two nations. Attempts to escape North Korea are met with harsh consequences, including shootings and placement in labor camps. Witnesses have attested to the regime’s use of public executions to indoctrinate children and parents into compliance with oppressive policies.
