Publication of North Korea Human Rights White Paper Featuring Testimonies of North Korean Defectors on "Public Executions Still Ongoing"

Publication of 'North Korea Human Rights White Paper 2022'... In-depth Interviews with 72 Defectors
"Residents' Right to Life Threatened, Death Penalty for Violating Quarantine Rules"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hee-jun] Testimonies have emerged that the right to life of North Korean residents is still under threat, and public executions have been carried out until recently. In particular, North Korea has been cracking down on residents' use of mobile phones, detecting recordings, call logs, and text messages related to South Korea, and strengthening punishments accordingly.

The Korea Institute for National Unification published the "North Korean Human Rights White Paper 2022" containing such testimonies on the 23rd. This white paper was produced based on in-depth interviews with 72 North Korean defectors who recently entered South Korea.

According to the testimonies of defectors included in the white paper, North Korea strengthened policy control over superstitious acts in 2018-2019, during which public executions were reportedly carried out.

In particular, there were cases of public executions on charges such as drug offenses or murder. A representative case was the incident in 2018 at Suseongcheon in Chongjin. A woman in her mid-30s killed the wife of a military party secretary’s driver after a conflict arose while dealing drugs, and this information reached Kim Jong-un, the Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea, who ordered "execution by shooting in front of the crowd."

However, the institute added, "some testimonies also indicate that public executions are decreasing." It is unclear whether public executions have actually decreased or if secret executions or summary executions have increased, the institute pointed out.

Furthermore, it was confirmed that North Korea established emergency epidemic prevention laws in response to the spread of COVID-19, which include provisions allowing the death penalty for those violating quarantine orders. This clearly violates the right to life, and the institute explained, "torture and inhumane treatment continue during criminal case processing, and North Korean authorities impose excessive labor on detainees in detention centers and assembly points."

Surveillance of residents and invasion of privacy through inminban (neighborhood units) and daily life summaries continue as a trend. Especially, intense surveillance and wiretapping are conducted on missing persons, defectors, and residents with family in South Korea.

The white paper also includes content on areas to which North Korea reacts most sensitively recently. It is strengthening crackdowns on the inflow of foreign culture and antisocialist phenomena. If caught during mobile phone crackdowns, labor reform sentences can be imposed, but some testimonies indicate that bribery can sometimes resolve the issue.

The institute explained, "Crackdowns and punishments related to recordings, call logs, and text messages connected to South Korea in North Korean residents' mobile phone use are intensifying," and "the younger generation is mainly caught in these crackdowns." It also predicted, "Although the implementation status of the Anti-Reactionary Thought and Culture Rejection Law adopted in December 2020 has not been confirmed, crackdowns and punishments on South Korea-related information, defined as antisocialist decadent culture, will continue to strengthen."

Additionally, according to the white paper, sexual harassment and sexual assault frequently occur routinely in North Korea, and despite punishment regulations for human trafficking, bribery can be used to evade detection. It was also found that residents use drugs such as bingdu (methamphetamine) and opium as therapeutic painkillers or stimulants, indicating a serious problem of drug abuse within North Korea.

Meanwhile, the Korea Institute for National Unification has been publishing the North Korean Human Rights White Paper annually since 1996. The English version of this white paper is scheduled to be released in March next year.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.