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.

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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.