North Korea has executed citizens for watching or distributing foreign television programmes, including popular South Korean dramas, according to a new United Nations human rights report released on Friday, September 12.
The 14-page review, based on interviews with more than 300 witnesses and escapees, describes a worsening clampdown on personal freedoms since 2014. It highlights the use of advanced surveillance technologies and harsher punishments, including the death penalty, for offences such as sharing foreign entertainment.
James Heenan, head of the UN human rights office for North Korea, told reporters in Geneva that executions for both political and non-political crimes have risen since Covid-19 restrictions. While he did not disclose specific figures, he confirmed that people had already been executed under the new laws for distributing South Korean TV dramas.
“Under laws, policies and practices introduced since 2015, citizens have been subjected to increased surveillance and control in all parts of life,” the report concluded.
The UN’s latest findings follow a landmark 2014 report which accused Pyongyang of crimes against humanity. The new review also documented the use of forced labour, including children compelled to work in dangerous conditions as part of so-called “shock brigades” in industries like coal mining and construction.
“They’re often children from the lower level of society, because they’re the ones who can’t bribe their way out of it, and these shock brigades are engaged in often very hazardous and dangerous work,” Heenan said during a briefing from Seoul.
Despite these grave findings, the report noted limited improvements, such as reduced use of violence by guards in detention centres and the introduction of new laws that appear to strengthen fair trial guarantees.
North Korea’s diplomatic missions in Geneva and London did not respond to requests for comment. The government has previously rejected the UN Human Rights Council resolution authorising the review, dismissing it as interference in its internal affairs.