Sharp rise in executions in North Korea during Covid-19 pandemic

Executions in North Korea increased significantly during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a report by the Transitional Justice Working Group (TJWG).

From January 2020 to the end of 2024, at least 153 people were executed or sentenced to death, a sharp rise from 44 executions in the five years prior.

The surge in executions followed the closure of North Korea's borders in 2020.

The TJWG report highlights that offenses related to religion, superstition, and foreign cultural content, including South Korean dramas and pop music, were among the most common reasons for executions.

The report notes that executions had declined between 2015 and 2019 amid international pressure after a landmark United Nations inquiry into human rights abuses in North Korea.

However, the number of executions rose sharply again in 2020, with 54 executions recorded that year and 45 in 2021, compared to an average of five per year between 2016 and 2019.

The Kim regime views the spread of South Korean pop culture as a threat to its ideology, leading to harsh punishments for those consuming or distributing such content.

A rare video from 2024 showed two teenagers publicly sentenced to 12 years of hard labor for watching and sharing South Korean dramas.

Other offenses resulting in executions included criticizing the leadership, intentional homicide, drug trafficking, and aiding defections from the country.

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