North Korea Executions Surge During Pandemic Lockdowns

North Korea sharply increased its use of executions during COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, according to a report by the Transitional Justice Working Group (TJWG). The Seoul-based human rights group documented at least 153 people executed or sentenced to death between January 2020 and December 2024. This marks an increase of 247% from the previous five-year period, which saw only 41 executions.

The report attributes most of these executions to violations of bans on foreign culture and religion, including watching South Korean dramas and movies. Before the pandemic, murder was the primary reason for executions. The number of political crime-related executions also increased significantly from four cases in the previous period to 28 during the pandemic lockdowns.

The TJWG report is based on interviews with 880 North Korean defectors living in South Korea and satellite images mapping execution sites across the country. It cautions that while its findings are substantial, they should not be considered definitive. The group's executive director highlighted that executions tied to cultural violations occurred throughout the country, indicating widespread access to foreign media.

Researchers analyzed 144 documented cases of executions and death sentencings spanning 2011 to 2024, involving at least 358 individuals. They identified 46 execution sites nationwide, including several clustered near central government facilities in Pyongyang.

Executions expanded geographically in the years following the country's pandemic-era border closure, spreading from a handful of northern areas to cities and provinces nationwide. Authorities also shifted the focus of capital punishment away from violent crime toward ideological control. While executions for homicide fell by 44%, cases tied to South Korean popular culture, religion, and so-called 'superstitious' practices rose by 250% after 2020.

North Korea sealed its borders at the outset of the pandemic and imposed sweeping controls on information flows. A 2020 law targeting 'anti-reactionary thought' allows up to 15 years of forced labor for possessing foreign media and the death penalty for large-scale distribution of South Korean dramas, films, or music.

The report found that nearly three-quarters of executions were carried out publicly, often in open spaces such as airfields, riverbanks, and marketplaces, reinforcing their role as a tool of intimidation. The highest number of executions occurred in the early years of Kim's rule, with more than 80 people killed in 2013.

Capital punishment declined after a 2014 U.N. Commission of Inquiry report found the country's human rights abuses to be 'without parallel in the contemporary world' and recommended referring North Korean leaders to the International Criminal Court. A follow-up U.N. human rights assessment released in 2025 found that North Korea's human rights situation 'has not improved over the past decade and, in many instances, has degraded,' citing worsening food shortages, forced labor, and tight restrictions on movement and expression.

Executions rose again after the pandemic border closure, which researchers said coincided with reduced outside pressure and tighter internal controls. The group warned that the trend could worsen as the regime prepares for a potential fourth-generation succession, saying there is a 'high risk of increased executions to strengthen cultural and ideological control and maintain political dominance.'

North Korean embassies in Singapore and London did not respond immediately to requests for comment on the report. Meanwhile, North Korea has begun slowly reopening its borders after approving the return of citizens who had been abroad and resuming passenger train service with China. However, the number of defectors remains low at 223 in 2025 compared to 1,275 in 2015.

The report also suggests that executions may increase as Kim Jong Un's daughter, Ju Ae, is anticipated to succeed him. Hubert Lee from the TJWG stated that a surge in executions could occur to remove Kim's inner circle and appoint loyalists to support his daughter's succession.