North Korea executes people for watching foreign films: report on regime brutality
A new UN report has made serious allegations about the human rights situation in North Korea, revealing that the dictatorship is increasingly applying the death penalty, including for offences such as watching or distributing foreign films and TV series. The report is based on interviews with more than 300 refugees who fled the country over the past decade.
Public executions used to instil fear
According to the report, at least six new laws have introduced the death penalty since 2015, including for the consumption of foreign media. Interviewees stated that public executions, carried out by firing squads, have become more frequent since 2020, as reported by the BBC.
A refugee named Kang Gyuri, who escaped in 2023, said three of her friends were executed for possessing South Korean media. She attended the trial of a 23-year-old friend who was sentenced to death alongside drug traffickers. “These crimes are treated the same now,” she noted.
Every aspect of life under surveillance
The UN Human Rights Office stated that no other society in the world lives under such intense surveillance as North Korea. Thanks to technological advancements, the regime’s monitoring capabilities have become even more comprehensive.
The situation deteriorated drastically in 2019, when Kim Jong-un broke off diplomatic relations with the West and the United States, focusing entirely on arms development. Since then, citizens’ daily conditions and fundamental rights have worsened. Most refugees reported that three meals a day were considered a luxury, and many families went hungry during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Forced labour and political camps
The regime is increasingly resorting to forced labour. Young people from poorer families are recruited into “shock brigades” to work on construction sites or in mines under life-threatening conditions. Deaths are common, but the authorities portray them as “sacrifices” made for Kim Jong-un. The report notes that in recent years, even orphans and street children have been conscripted in large numbers.
The UN also reported that at least four political prison camps remain in operation, while torture, malnutrition and overwork are widespread in regular prisons. Many refugees have personally witnessed inmates dying as a result.
International isolation and blocked sanctions
The report states that North Korea has brought its citizens’ lives under “near-total control,” denying them the ability to make economic, social or political decisions independently.
The UN has urged the international community to refer the matter to the International Criminal Court in The Hague. However, such action requires a decision by the UN Security Council, which China and Russia have repeatedly blocked since 2019. North Korea has the tacit backing of both powers, as evidenced by Kim Jong-un’s recent joint appearance with Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin at a military parade in Beijing.
UN: Change is urgently needed
Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, emphasised that if the current situation persists, North Koreans can expect continued suffering, brutal repression and fear. The UN calls on the Pyongyang regime to abolish the death penalty, shut down political prison camps, and begin educating its citizens on human rights.
Although international action continues to be blocked by China and Russia, the report notes a growing desire for change among the younger generation.
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After tbe executions are finished is Fidese lining up to do business with their North Korean comrades?