North Korea has carried out executions of citizens caught watching or distributing foreign television content, including popular South Korean dramas, according to a United Nations human rights report released on Friday, September 12.
The 14-page review, based on interviews with over 300 witnesses and escapees, details an intensifying crackdown on personal freedoms since 2014. It highlights the regime’s use of advanced surveillance technologies and harsher punishments—including the death penalty—for sharing foreign entertainment.
James Heenan, head of the UN human rights office for North Korea, confirmed that executions under these laws have already taken place. He noted a rise in executions for both political and non-political crimes since Covid-19 restrictions, although no exact figures were disclosed.
“Under laws, policies and practices introduced since 2015, citizens have been subjected to increased surveillance and control in all parts of life,” the report stated.
The findings also documented widespread forced labour, including children pressed into “shock brigades” to work in coal mines and construction under hazardous conditions. Heenan explained that these children often came from poorer families unable to bribe their way out of forced assignments.
Despite the severity of the report, the UN noted some limited improvements, such as reduced violence by guards in detention centres and new laws that appear to bolster fair trial guarantees.
North Korea has not responded to the latest findings but has previously dismissed such reports as foreign interference in its domestic affairs.
