Capital punishment in North Korea

Capital punishment is a legal and often-used form of punishment in North Korea for many offences, such as grand theft, murder, rape, drug smuggling, treason, espionage, political dissidence, defection, piracy, consumption of media not approved by the government and proselytizing religious beliefs that contradict practiced Juche ideology. Current working knowledge of the topic depends heavily on the accounts of defectors (both relatives of victims, and former members of the government).Executions are mostly carried out by firing squad, hanging or decapitation in public, making North Korea one of the last six countries to still perform public executions, the other five being Iran, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Afghanistan and Yemen.

Human rights organizations have collected testimony on 1,193 executions in North Korea through 2009. Many people are executed every year. The Foreign Policy periodical estimated there were 60 executions in 2010.

On November 3, 2013, according to a JoongAng Ilbo report, at least 80 people were publicly executed for minor offenses. The executions were said to be carried out simultaneously in Wonsan, Chongjin, Sariwon, Pyongsong and three other North Korean cities for crimes such as watching South Korean movies, watching pornography or possessing a Bible. According to a witness from Wonsan, 10,000 residents were forced to watch when eight people were machine-gunned to death at the local Shinpoong stadium.

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