North Korea has executed people for distributing foreign media, including television series such as popular South Korean dramas, as part of an increasingly harsh crackdown on personal freedoms, a UN human rights report released on Friday said.
According to the report, since 2014, surveillance has become more widespread thanks to new technologies, while penalties have become harsher – including the introduction of the death penalty for acts such as distributing foreign television dramas.
These restrictions make North Korea the most restrictive country in the world, according to the 14-page UN report, which is based on interviews with more than 300 witnesses and victims who have fled the country and reported further deterioration of freedoms.
James Heenan, head of the UN human rights office for North Korea, told a conference in Geneva that the number of executions for ordinary and political crimes has increased since the COVID-19 restrictions.
He added that an unspecified number of people have already been executed under new laws for distributing foreign television series, including popular South Korean dramas (K-Dramas) from the southern neighbor.
"Under the laws, policies, and practices introduced since 2015, citizens have faced increased surveillance and control in all aspects of life," the report concludes.
This wide-ranging UN review comes more than a decade after a landmark UN report concluded that North Korea had committed crimes against humanity. The new report covers developments since 2014.
North Korea's diplomatic mission in Geneva and its embassy in London did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
North Korea (DPRK) responded to UN investigators by stating that it rejects the Human Rights Council resolution authorizing the latest report.
Heenan added from Seoul that sometimes children are forced to work in forced labor, including so-called "shock brigades" in difficult sectors such as coal mining and construction.
"They are often children from the lowest strata of society, because they are the ones who cannot afford to pay bribes to escape, and these brigades often face very dangerous and tiring work," Heenan said.
The report also noted some limited improvements, such as a reduction in violence by guards in detention facilities and new laws that appear to strengthen guarantees for a fair trial.
