North Korea is increasingly applying the death penalty, including against people caught watching or sharing foreign films and television dramas, according to a new United Nations human rights report.
The UN Human Rights Office said the regime has tightened control over nearly every aspect of daily life over the past decade, combining expanded surveillance technology with harsh new laws. At least six laws introduced since 2015 now allow capital punishment, including for consuming foreign media.
The findings, based on more than 300 interviews with escapees, document public executions, often carried out by firing squad, used to instil fear. One defector, Kang Gyuri, told the BBC her friends were executed for possessing South Korean dramas. “He was tried along with drug criminals. These crimes are treated the same now,” she said of a 23-year-old acquaintance.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk warned that without change, North Koreans “will be subjected to more of the suffering, brutal repression and fear that they have endured for so long.”
The report noted that early hopes of reform under Kim Jong Un, who took power in 2011, have collapsed. Instead, escapees described worsening conditions, with many families unable to secure three daily meals. Food shortages during the Covid-19 pandemic led to widespread hunger and deaths.
At the same time, the government tightened border controls, making escape nearly impossible, and cracked down on informal markets that once allowed citizens to trade for survival. One defector described daily life as “a torment,” saying the regime blocked any effort at independent living.
Forced labour has also expanded. Poor families and even orphans are sent into hazardous “shock brigades” for construction and mining projects, where deaths are common. State propaganda portrays these losses as sacrifices for Kim Jong Un, the report said.
The UN found at least four political prison camps remain operational, where detainees face torture, malnutrition, and overwork. While some violence by guards has reportedly decreased, prisoners continue to die from abuse and neglect.
These findings echo a landmark 2014 UN inquiry that concluded North Korea was committing crimes against humanity. The UN is again urging the Security Council to refer the situation to the International Criminal Court, though such a move would likely be blocked by China and Russia.
The report calls on Pyongyang to abolish the death penalty, close political prison camps, and introduce human rights education. “Our reporting shows a clear and strong desire for change, particularly among young people,” Türk said.
