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Executions in North Korea ramped up significantly during pandemic - report
Key takeaways
- Some of the most common offences were related to religion, superstition and foreign cultural content - including the consumption of K-dramas and K-pop.
- The number of killings declined between 2015 and 2019 amid international pressure following a landmark UN inquiry.
- The NGO found that executions in North Korea peaked in the early years of Kim's rule, with more than 80 people executed in 2013.
Why this matters: a developing story that could shape the day's news cycle.
Koh Ewe Getty Images North Korea executed a total of 358 people were executed between 2011 and 2024, according to an NGO report Executions rose sharply in North Korea during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a Seoul-based NGO.
From January 2020 to the end of 2024, at least 153 people were executed or sentenced to death - a sharp increase from 44 people in the five years before the pandemic, according to a report by the Transitional Justice Working Group (TJWG).
Some of the most common offences were related to religion, superstition and foreign cultural content - including the consumption of K-dramas and K-pop.
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