Executions in North Korea rose sharply during COVID pandemic

Executions in North Korea rose sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a report Tuesday cited by Yonhap News Agency.

The study by the Seoul-based NGO the Transitional Justice Working Group covered executions and death sentences over a 13-year period of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s rule from 2011 to 2024.

Out of 144 confirmed executions during the period, 65 were carried out after the country closed its borders at the start of the pandemic.

The study found that executions declined between 2015 and 2019 amid international scrutiny but surged again after 2020, with overall executions and death sentences increasing by 116.7% and the number of individuals affected rising by 247.7%.

Executions linked to activities such as watching South Korean cultural content or engaging in religious practices increased by 250% following the border closure, it said.

Researchers also identified 46 execution sites across the country, including five located within 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) of key government facilities in Pyongyang.

“As the regime pursues a 4th hereditary succession of power, there is a high risk of increased executions to strengthen cultural and ideological control and maintain political dominance,” the study said.

There has been no reaction to the study so far from North Korea.