North Korea dramatically escalated its use of the death penalty after sealing its borders at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in January 2020, exploiting its self-imposed isolation to intensify killings away from international scrutiny, according to a major new report. The study, published by the Transitional Justice Working Group (TJWG), a Seoul-based human rights NGO, maps 13 years of executions under leader Kim Jong-un and documents a sharp upward shift once the outside world's attention was diverted.
The report found that documented cases of executions and death sentences rose by nearly 117% in the five years following North Korea's border closure compared with an equivalent period before it, with the number of individuals affected more than tripling — an increase of around 248%. In total, the TJWG documented 144 confirmed cases involving at least 358 individuals between December 2011, when Kim took power, and December 2024. Roughly 70% of executions were carried out publicly, with crowds compelled to watch. The report identified 46 execution sites across the country, disclosing coordinates for 40 of them, including five located within 10 kilometres of the ruling Workers' Party headquarters in Pyongyang.
Among the most striking findings is the surge in executions linked to consumption of foreign culture. Cases involving South Korean films, dramas and music — commonly known as K-dramas and K-pop — as well as religious or "superstitious" practices rose by 250% after the border closure, overtaking murder as the most common capital offence. The regime enacted supporting legislation in 2020 and 2023 to formalise the crackdown, consistent with earlier reports from Amnesty International that watching popular South Korean series such as Squid Game or listening to bands like BTS could result in the death penalty. Political executions for criticising Kim, the Workers' Party, or state security services also surged, with the number of condemned individuals rising by 600%.
The report also notes that North Korea has historically calibrated its use of executions in response to international pressure. Killings declined noticeably between 2015 and 2019, following heightened United Nations scrutiny and discussions about referring Kim to the International Criminal Court in The Hague. The geographic spread of executions also widened during the pandemic, expanding from eight localities — concentrated in Pyongyang and north-eastern provinces near the Chinese border — to 19 localities nationwide.
The TJWG warns that the situation could deteriorate further. With Kim reportedly positioning his teenage daughter, understood to be named Ju-ae, as heir apparent to a fourth hereditary succession, analysts at the group assess that executions are likely to increase as the regime seeks to reinforce ideological control. Ethan Hee-seok Shin, a legal analyst at TJWG, called on the international community to take stronger action to "deter and punish this crime against humanity" and pursue accountability under international criminal law. The findings are set to be presented at the World Congress Against the Death Penalty in Paris this summer.