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The United Nations has found that North Korea is increasingly using the death penalty for those caught watching and sharing foreign films and TV dramas. This shocking revelation is part of a larger UN report that highlights severe restrictions on North Korean citizens, including increased forced labour and curtailed freedoms. The report paints a grim picture of life under Kim Jong Un’s regime, with public executions carried out to instil fear.

 

Since Kim Jong Un took power in 2011, control over North Koreans’ lives has tightened significantly. The UN Human Rights Office interviewed over 300 escapees, discovering that since 2015, at least six new laws permit execution for crimes like consuming foreign media. The North Korean state’s pervasive surveillance, bolstered by modern technology, makes these crackdowns possible, as public trials and executions have become more common.

 

Escapees have testified to rampant fear. Kang Gyuri, who fled in 2023, recounted seeing friends executed for possessing South Korean content. Originally hopeful under Kim’s leadership, many citizens now face dire living conditions, with food scarcity exacerbated by the pandemic. Restrictions on informal marketplaces have further complicated life, and attempts to flee frequently result in death, making survival a daily struggle.

 

The UN report calls for systemic repression, including rampant forced labour. Citizens from impoverished backgrounds are pushed into dangerous work with little hope of reward, and even orphans are reportedly enlisted in hazardous projects. Despite grim conditions, the North Korean government glorifies deaths as sacrificial acts for the regime.

 

Yet, North Korea’s human rights abuses are not a new discovery. Previous reports from the UN highlighted crimes against humanity within political prison camps. The latest findings indicate that these issues persist, with regular prisons still sites of abuse, although some improvements in the form of slightly reduced violence have been noted.

 

The UN urges the international community to refer North Korea’s situation to the International Criminal Court. However, China and Russia have blocked past attempts at imposing sanctions. Last week, Kim Jong Un’s appearance with Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin at a Beijing military parade showcased the complex geopolitical dynamics, highlighting these major powers' tolerance of North Korea’s contentious policies.

 

Key Takeaways

 

• North Korea is executing citizens for watching and sharing foreign films.
• Citizens face severe restrictions, increased forced labour, and food scarcity.
• The UN calls for international intervention and abolition of abusive practices.

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  Adapted by ASEAN Now from BBC 2025-09-13

 

 

But but but Donnie said they fell in love how could this possibly be???you know after squandering years and years of sanctions (I’m sure quite a few lives that we will never know about)as well .now this??? Plus’s little Kim is just a pumping out nukes and delivery systems supporting Donnie’s other bestie in the rape of Ukraine……how could this possibly be?I thought Donnie was a foreign policy genius after all that’s what he said……anyway more on topic seems little Kim is frightened of his people knowing how most folks live ehh?