At least 153 people executed or sentenced to death in North Korea since 2020

At least 153 people were executed or sentenced to death in North Korea from January 2020 to the end of 2024.

This is reported by the BBC with reference to a report by the non-governmental organization - the Transitional Justice Working Group (TJWG).

In 2020, the country executed at least 54 people, and in 2021 - 45. For comparison, in 2016-2019, about five people were executed each year.

A separate surge was recorded in 2013, when more than 80 people were executed after Kim Jong Un came to power.

The report notes that the most common grounds for death sentences were actions related to religion, superstition and consumption of foreign cultural content, including South Korean TV series and K-pop. Such content is banned in the DPRK.

Other reasons for executions include criticism of Kim Jong Un or the ruling party, premeditated murder, drug trafficking and aiding in the escape from the country.

The TJWG bases its findings on the testimonies of more than 250 DPRK citizens who have left the country. According to their data, 358 people were executed in North Korea between 2011 and 2024, with more than 70% of such cases being public.

Recall that during a public speech, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reported that among North Korean soldiers who participated in the fighting in the Kursk Oblast, there were cases of self-destruction instead of being captured by Ukrainian forces. He called such actions "heroic death."

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