North Korea executes more people for watching foreign films, UN report finds

Published on 12/09/2025 - 18:03 GMT+2

North Korea appears to beryllium expanding its usage of nan decease punishment for actions for illustration watching aliases sharing overseas films, a caller awesome UN study has found.

Evidence suggests that forced labour astatine sites specified arsenic ember mines is besides becoming much communal successful nan isolated country, according to nan UN Human Rights Office.

Orphans and members of mediocre families are often targeted for specified vulnerable work, it noted.

Based connected interviews pinch much than 300 group who person escaped nan state complete nan past decade, nan study concluded that North Korea is much closed disconnected than ever.

Its residents are “subjected to unremitting propaganda by nan authorities for their full lives”, pinch restrictions worse location than successful immoderate different country, nan UN concluded.

One escapee said that accrued crackdowns successful caller years were intended to “to artifact nan people’s eyes and ears”.

“It was a shape of power aimed astatine eliminating moreover nan smallest signs of dissatisfaction aliases complaint,” they added.

Publicly changeable by firing squads to discourage others

Since Kim Kong-un took powerfulness aft his father’s decease successful 2011, much laws person been introduced that let for nan decease penalty. One concerns nan viewing and distribution of foreign-made media content.

North Korean interviewees told nan UN that from 2020 location person been much executions based connected this law.

Those recovered blameworthy are changeable by firing squads successful nationalist successful a bid to discourage others from pursuing suit, escapees said.

Meanwhile, nan country’s organization still has its correct to nutrient violated, pinch authorities policies responsible for hunger, nan study suggested.

Speaking astir nan findings of nan report, UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk described nan past 10 years arsenic “a mislaid decade” for North Korea.

“And it pains maine to opportunity that if (North Korea) continues connected its existent trajectory, nan organization will beryllium subjected to much of nan suffering, sadistic repression and fearfulness that they person endured for truthful long,” he said.

“The hundreds of interviews conducted during nan people of this reporting shows a clear and beardown desire for change, peculiarly among young people," Türk added.