Nokor Forces Public To Watch Execution of 80 People Guilty Of Watching Sokor Films, Bible Possession And Pornography
In North Korea, Korea JoonGang Daily reported that 10,000 people, including children, were forced to watch public executions of 80 people allegedly guilty of minor offenses such as watching South Korean films, Bible possession and distributing pornography.
While the North Korean government executes people for offenses like conspiracy to overthrow the government, treason and terrorism, its law had also been harsh for those people associated with religious activism, cell phone use and stealing for food.
The public execution, conducted across seven cities, was the first known large-scale public executions to have occured under the Kim Jong-un regime Nov. 3, according to sources. In each of the seven cities, there were at least 10 people who were executed.
In Wonsan in Kangwon Province, eight people were tied at a local stadium. Their heads were covered with white sacks. To carry out their execution, authorities fired machine guns. These eight unfortunate souls were charged of watching South Korean films, prostitution and owning a Bible.
Worst and heartlessly, authorities forced 10,000 people, including children, to watch the execution.
"I heard from the residents that they watched in terror as the corpses were riddled by machine-gun fire that they were hard to identify afterwards," the source said.
As for their accomplices or relatives who were also associated with their crimes, they were confined to prison camps awaiting their fate.
Jong-un had plans of transforming Wonsan into North Korea's tourist capital, according to analysts. There had been plans of putting up hotels, airport and ski resort on Mount Masik in Wonsan. The execution that had occured aroused the suspicion that Jong-un resorted to such extreme measure to stop protests against his tourism plans and development projects in Wonsan. In relation to this, executions were not held in the capital of Pyongyang where Jong-un was supported by the elite class.
In Pyongyang, there had been construction of luxury and recreational establishments. In fact, there had been a new water park being constructed.
"It is the beginning of the Kim Jong-un-style of governance, buying the favor of the privileged class of North Korea in Pyongyang," Ahn Chan-il, analyst at the World North Korea Research Center, said.
Other analysts thought that the executions were related to the Sep. 21 executions of the members of Unhasu Orchestra who had filmed themselves having sex and selling the film as pornography.