At least 153 people were executed or sentenced to death in North Korea from 2020 to 2024, according to a new report that says punishments increasingly targeted South Korean media consumption.
A documented 2022 case in South Hwanghae Province involved a 22-year-old man shot by firing squad for listening to 70 South Korean songs, watching three films and distributing them.
The Seoul-based Transitional Justice Working Group said executions rose 247% from the previous five-year period, describing a sharp escalation in state repression.
Its findings draw on interviews with 265 North Korean defectors, reporting from five media outlets with in-country contacts, and satellite imagery identifying 46 execution sites.
The report portrays a system in which cultural consumption has been recast as a capital offense, broadening the reach of North Korea's social control.
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North Korea’s 2020–2024 Execution Spike: Public Killings, K-pop Crackdowns, and the Fight for Ideological Control
Overview
Between 2020 and 2024, North Korea's regime intensified its crackdown, leading to a dramatic surge in executions. At least 136 executions were carried out, with many conducted as public spectacles. These public executions were designed to instill fear and maintain strict control over the population, showing how the government thrives on terror and keeps a suffocating grip on society. By making executions highly visible, the regime asserts its authority and deters dissent, highlighting a clear strategy to reinforce its power through fear and extreme measures.