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North Korea dramatically increased the use of the death penalty after closing its borders during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new report by the Transitional Justice Working Group (TJWG), a Seoul-based human rights NGO. The report, which examines executions and death sentences during Kim Jong-un's 13-year rule, found that the number of documented cases of executions and death sentences increased by 117% after the border closure compared with an equal period before it, and that the number of people executed or sentenced to death more than tripled.

The report, based on testimonies from 265 North Korean defectors and information from five North Korea-focused media outlets, identified 46 execution sites and disclosed coordinates for 40 of them. It documented 144 cases, including 136 execution events involving at least 358 individuals between December 2011 and December 2024, with about 70% of executions carried out publicly with crowds forced to watch.

Coverage comparison

The report's findings were covered by multiple international outlets, each highlighting different aspects. Deutsche Welle emphasized the "sharp spike" in executions over foreign culture, religion, and "superstition," while The Guardian focused on the overall increase in executions and the regime's exploitation of the pandemic to expand capital crimes. The Jerusalem Post noted that executions more than doubled from 30 to 65, and death sentences more than tripled from 44 to 153, with cultural and information crimes replacing murder as the leading capital offense.

The South China Morning Post and Yonhap News both highlighted the surge in executions for consuming South Korean cultural content, with Yonhap noting that such executions surged by 250% after the border closure. The Guardian also reported that political executions for violating Kim's orders or criticizing the leader increased sharply, and that the number of death sentences given to political prisoners rose by 600% following the start of the pandemic.

Key Claims

  • Overall increase in executions and death sentences: All sources reported a significant rise in executions and death sentences after the border closure, with the number of documented cases increasing by 117% and the number of people affected rising by 247.7%.
  • At least 153 people executed or sentenced to death: The report states that at least 153 people were executed or sentenced to death between January 2020 and the end of 2024, out of 144 confirmed executions over the entire 13-year period.
  • Cultural crimes surged: Executions and death sentences linked to foreign culture, including South Korean K-dramas, films, and K-pop, as well as religious and "superstitious" practices, surged by 250% after the border closure, becoming the most common capital offense.
  • Murder executions fell: Executions and death sentences for murder fell by 44% after the border closure, according to a claim carried by The Guardian but not other outlets.
  • Political executions rose sharply: The Guardian reported a "sharp increase" in political executions for violating Kim's orders or criticizing the leader, and the Jerusalem Post reported a 600% rise in death sentences for political prisoners. This claim was not prominently featured in other sources.
  • Execution sites identified: The report identified 46 execution sites and disclosed coordinates for 40 of them, as reported by both The Guardian and Yonhap.

Perspectives

The report's authors argue that the regime exploited the pandemic's isolation to expand the number of crimes carrying the death penalty and to suppress political discontent. The report states: "As the regime pursues a fourth hereditary succession of power, there is a high risk of increased executions to strengthen cultural and ideological control and maintain political dominance."

Experts quoted in the report note that the shift toward cultural and information offenses shows an increasing willingness on the part of Kim Jong-un's regime to use lethal force to ensure loyalty. However, some observers, such as Greg Scarlatoiu, executive director of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, suggest that the regime's efforts to block foreign media may be futile: "It is already too late for the North Korean regime to put this genie back into the bottle."

The report also notes that executions had declined from 2015 to 2019 amid heightened international scrutiny following the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on human rights in North Korea, but surged again after the COVID-19 border closure. This suggests that international attention may have had a moderating effect, which was lost during the pandemic.