Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea).

Asia (Eastern Asia).

Korean.

24,500,000 (U.N., 2012).

Retentionist.

2024.

Hanging.

Executions can be carried out by hanging.

Shooting.

Executions can be carried out by shooting.

Comments.

The method of execution is not mandated by legislation (which simply provides for “extinguishing bodily life” ), but reports suggest that authorities use both hanging and shooting by firing squad.

Executions are usually carried out in secret, but there are public executions to serve as an example to others. A video tape of the execution of two men in March 2005 shows about 1,500 persons scattered around a rock ravine watching the two men being tied to white posts and shot from the rear by three soldiers, each of whom fired three times. Before the executions, a North Korea official with a megaphone read the charges aloud and denounced them for being “traitors of the fatherland.” Prisoners report that authorities at their facility would “stage public executions fifteen or twenty times” each year. The Military Security Control Centre of the North Korean People’s Army conducts indoor executions.

In April 2014, South Korean media reported that a senior party official had been executed by flame-thrower. In 2012, a senior military official was reportedly executed with a mortar round. Such reports should be read with caution. Secrecy has increased under the regime of Kim Jong-un, and experts indicate that the North Korean “rumor mill” is “out of control.”

There is no reliable source of data regarding death row numbers or executions in North Korea and estimates vary.

(This question was last updated on June 3, 2019.).

No. North Korea continues to carry out executions.

The Constitution does not make direct reference to capital punishment. Articles 62-86 of the Constitution, addressing fundamental rights and duties, do not explicitly guarantee the fundamental right to life or protections against arbitrariness or inhuman treatment, although Article 79 guarantees the “inviolability of the person.” According to the Library of Congress, the Central Court does not exercise judicial review over the constitutionality of executive or legislative actions or have the power to protect individual rights against state actions. However, the 2010 Constitution states that the prosecutor’s office assures government compliance with the Constitution.

Aggravated Murder.

An “especially serious” case of deliberately killing another person for base motives such as greed, jealousy or “other unjustifiable reasons” is punishable by death.

Murder.

Expert reports state that simple murder is punishable by death, but we were unable to find the legislative provision that sets out capital punishment for simple murder. It is likely that, as with other death-eligible offenses, a standard of “seriousness” attached to a crime of deliberate killing and left to a court’s discretion is sufficient to trigger a capital sentence.

Terrorism-Related Offenses Resulting in Death.

An “especially serious” case of murdering officials or citizens for “anti-state purposes” is punishable by death.

Terrorism-Related Offenses Not Resulting in Death.

An “especially serious” case of kidnapping or inflicting an injury upon officials or citizens for “anti-state purposes” is punishable by death.

Rape Not Resulting in Death.

An “especially serious” case of rape is punishable by death.

Robbery Not Resulting in Death.

An “especially serious” case of robbery of personal assets is punishable by death.

One media report suggests that stealing half a sack of rice rises to the level of seriousness required to warrant the death penalty. The Korea Institute for National Unification also reported that in September 2010, a 40-year-old man was sentenced to public execution for stealing six cows, as it was considered a deliberate damage to national wealth.

Kidnapping Not Resulting in Death.

An “especially serious” case of kidnapping is punishable by death.

Drug Trafficking Not Resulting in Death.

An “especially serious” case of drug trafficking is punishable by death. In early 2014, media sources reported that the Criminal Code was amended to extend the death penalty to using or dealing in drugs. It is unclear if the new provisions are broader than the existing law defining capital drug offenses.

Drug Possession.

While we did not find legislative provisions specifically mandating death for drug possession, the Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network reported that North Korea is among the few countries that impose death sentences for possession of drugs over a certain amount. It is possible that, as with other death-eligible offenses, the threshold of seriousness to be met in order to trigger a capital sentence is left open to the court’s discretion. Drug possession offenses might therefore be prosecuted as a variety of drug trafficking. In early 2014, media sources reported that the Criminal Code was amended to extend the death penalty to using or dealing in drugs.

Economic Crimes Not Resulting in Death.

An “especially serious” case of plundering state property, robbing state property, or deliberately destroying state property is punishable by death. An “especially serious” case of currency counterfeiting is punishable by death. A person who extensively smuggles precious metals or non-ferrous metals is subject to the death penalty. Unlawfully selling a large amount of national resources to another country is punishable by death.

Embezzlement, fraud, and black market smuggling or trafficking are, according to expert and NGO reports, punishable by death.

The Database Center for North Korean Rights reported that five people involved in illegal cattle trading were publicly executed in July 2010.

Treason.

Treason, which includes defection and political opposition, is punishable by death. Treason is an expansive offense subjecting ill-defined crimes such as “ideological divergence,” “opposing socialism,” and “counterrevolutionary crimes.” An “especially serious” case of participating in an anti-state revolution, riot, demonstration or raid is punishable by death. A citizen who betrays the State and escapes to another country is subject to the death penalty, if the circumstances are deemed grave. An “especially serious” case of destruction or covertly injuring or killing someone for “anti-state purposes” is punishable by death. A North Korean citizen who severely oppresses the people’s movement towards national unification or liberation from imperialism, or betrays the people and sides with the imperialists is also subject to the death penalty.

In early 2014, media sources reported that the Criminal Code was amended to extend the death penalty to illegal phone contact with foreigners, viewing or listening to South Korean programs or broadcasts, and aiding and abetting defectors.

Espionage.

An “especially serious” case of handing over state secrets to another country is punishable by death.

Military Offenses Not Resulting in Death.

An “especially serious” case of deliberately destroying military facilities or technology is punishable by death.

Other Offenses Not Resulting in Death.

- Repeat offenders: If a person commits multiple crimes that are “especially serious,” or shows no signs of repentance, he or she is punishable by death. If a convict flees after receiving a severe sentence or during the enforcement of a sentence, he or she is subject to the death penalty.
- Facilitating prostitution: Organizing and facilitating prostitution while operating a restaurant or a motel is also punishable by death.
- Assault: A person who deliberately inflicts a severe injury upon another person is subject to the death penalty, if the case is considered to be “especially grave.”
- In a particularly vague provision, even by North Korean standards, an “especially serious” case of being a “scoundrel” is punishable by death.
- Human trafficking. In early 2014, media sources reported that the Criminal Code was amended to extend the death penalty to transnational human or sex trafficking.

According to reports, public executions are also carried out for:
- Circulating “harmful” information.
- Failure to discharge duty: An individual who hinders the country’s industry, trade or the transportation system by purposely failing to fulfill a specific duty is punishable by death. For instance, a former Cabinet official who was in charge of talks with South Korea was executed by firing squad for policy failure in 2010.
- Religious practice: While religious freedom is constitutionally protected, in practice North Korea characterizes disseminating religious material as anti-state activity and executes those who do it. Media reports have covered executions for religious offenses such as evangelism and distribution or possession of Bibles.
Although we did not find specific articles legislating these offenses, they might have been prosecuted under any of the broadly-worded provisions listed above.
.

Comments.

As will appear from the above analysis, offenses in North Korea are defined more broadly and subjectively than in any other nation in the world, and the executive may dictate judicial outcomes, resulting in the application of the death penalty for a wide range of political offenses and arbitrary application or expansion of the death penalty over time. It is impossible to predict what kinds of “offenses” will be prosecuted as death-eligible, or indeed what legal provisions lead to convictions and death sentences. For instance, intelligence data submitted to Yoon Sang-hyun of the South Korea National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs, Trade and Unification Committee indicated that Kim Chol, North Korea’s Vice Minister of the People’s Armed Forces, was executed by a firing squad in January 2012. He had been convicted for drinking alcohol during the mourning period for former leader Kim Jong-il.

Moreover, capital punishment is carried out in violation of the principle of “nullum crimen sine lege” (no crime without law). Executions are carried out for crimes even where that crime is not subject to a death sentence under domestic law. Extrajudicial executions are not uncommon in political prison camps where tens of thousands are detained.

No. But it is unclear whether this distinction is meaningful in North Korea. According to the North Korea Criminal Code and the Addendum to the Criminal Code for Ordinary Crimes, the death penalty should only be applied in the gravest cases. In practice, it is obvious that North Korea applies the death penalty for trivial offenses and for actions that would not be considered criminal offenses in most parts of the world. According to media reports, the state often carries out executions of common citizens who run afoul of state opinion or embarrass the state after little or no meaningful judicial process, and the state carries out high-profile executions of political figures who have fallen into disfavor, also without providing any meaningful recourse to judicial process. Finally, the state executes individuals for offenses that the state has failed to define as actual crimes, and the judiciary is not independent and does not provide fair trials. We conclude that while there is no mandatory death penalty in North Korea, the death penalty is applied in an arbitrary and perfunctory fashion and is largely a tool of oppression used by the executive. While in many cases courts do not exercise any meaningful discretion, this is not because the death penalty is mandatory, but rather because the use of the death penalty in North Korea is often essentially an extrajudicial function. For example, 30 officials who had engaged in bilateral talks with South Korea were reportedly either executed by a firing squad (or killed extrajudicially in staged traffic accidents) in July 2011.

Comments.

None, there is no mandatory death penalty (see answer above on the mandatory death penalty).

In practice, the government executes individuals without meaningful recourse to judicial process. This practice is most severe when the state accuses an individual of opposing its policies or opinions. However, we do not believe there is any legally mandatory death penalty in North Korea.

Individuals Below Age 18 at Time of Crime.

The Criminal Code bans death sentences for minors who were under eighteen years of age when the crime was committed. North Korea is a party to the ICCPR and has not made reservations to article 6(5) that prohibits the sentence of death for crimes committed by a person under the age of eighteen, although the protections of this treaty may not be considered binding under domestic law.

Pregnant Women.

The Criminal Code bans death sentences for pregnant women. North Korea is a party to the ICCPR and has not made reservations to article 6(5) (barring executions of pregnant women), although the protections of this treaty may not be considered binding under domestic law.

Mentally Ill.

The Criminal Code excludes from criminal liability generally people who commit crimes while unable to understand their actions or unable to control themselves because of a chronic mental disease or temporary mental disorder. The Criminal Code also provides that “medical measures” shall be adopted for defendants who become mentally ill during investigation, trial, or verdict, and that criminal liability shall only be imposed after the person returns to a “normal mental state.”

Aggravated Murder.

The Korea Institute for National Unification, based in South Korea, reported that a man was executed for killing a preteen girl and eating her flesh in December 2009 during Pyongyang’s currency reform that led to massive inflation and food shortages. Amnesty reports that executions were carried out for murder and cannibalism in 2013.

Economic Crimes Not Resulting in Death.

Five civilians were publicly executed for illegal cattle trading in July 2010. Amnesty reports that executions were carried out for embezzlement in 2013.

Treason.

Treason is understood so broadly that it encompasses any kind of political dissidence. The following are examples of behavior that authorities considered to be “anti-state”.

2008: 13 women were executed in 2008 for attempting to flee to China. Son Jong-nam was executed in December 2008 for communicating with organizations outside the country.

2009: In June 2009, three persons were killed for fleeing to South Korea on a small boat. Two officials from the Ministry of Electric Industry were executed for shutting down the electricity supply to the Sunjin Steel Mill in Kimchaek, North Hamkyung Province in February 2009.

2010: A ruling party official was executed in 2010 for the crime of “conspiring to infiltrate the ranks of revolutionaries to destroy the national economy.” Pak Nam Gi, former finance director of the ruling Workers’ Party, was shot in Pyongyang in March 2010 after being convicted of treason for “ruining the national economy as the son of a big landlord who infiltrated the ranks of revolutionaries” by overseeing North Korea’s currency revaluation in 2009. His deputy Ri Tae Il was also executed for the redenomination’s failure.

2011: Amnesty International indicated that there were unconfirmed reports in July 2011 about executions by firing squad or killing in staged traffic accidents of 30 officials who engaged in bilateral talks with South Korea.

2012: In January 2012, North Korea’s Vice Minister of the People’s Armed Forces was reportedly executed by a firing squad after being convicted of drinking alcohol during the mourning period for former leader Kim Jong-il. A media report in June 2012 stated that four of 44 North Korean fugitives who had been repatriated from China were executed.

2013: Amnesty reported unconfirmed executions of political opponents of Kim Jong-un in 2013, including the execution of his uncle Jang Seong-taek as well as for escaping to China, watching banned videos from South Korea and participating in activities that countered the goals of the Korean Workers’ Party. Testimony before the UN Human Rights Council’s Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in North Korea indicates that a string of executions took place in October – November 2013 targeting viewers and distributors of foreign pornography and South Korean films.

2014: Ri Kyung-ho was reportedly executed in March 2014 for calling his family in South Korea and for conveying money from defectors to their families.

Espionage.

Amnesty International reported that Ri Hyun-ok was publicly executed in Ryongchon on charges of distributing Bibles and espionage in June 2009. Her parents, husband and three children were sent to a political prison camp.

Other Offenses Not Resulting in Death.

- Theft: A man who stole half a sack of rice was executed in 2009. The Korea Institute for National Unification also reported that in September 2010, a 40-year-old man was sentenced to public execution for stealing six cows, as it was considered a deliberate damage to national wealth.
- Failure to discharge a duty: A former Cabinet official who was in charge of talks with South Korea was executed by firing squad in 2010.
- Religious practice: Media reports have covered executions for religious offenses such as evangelism and distribution or possession of Bibles. A woman named Ri Hyun-ok was publicly executed in Ryongchon in June 2009 for distributing Bibles and espionage. Her parents, husband and three children were sent to a political prison camp. According to Amnesty International, public executions were carried out in 2009 for human trafficking and circulating “harmful” information.

Comments.

Individuals are executed regularly for a variety of crimes in North Korea, but information about specific executions is not usually forthcoming. We have listed publicized executions from the last few years, but it is very likely that this list is far from complete. Moreover, news reports from North Korea regarding specific executions should be read with great caution. Secrecy has increased under the regime of Kim Jong-un, and experts indicate that the North Korean “rumor mill” is “out of control.”

Information on the death penalty is considered a state secret. Additionally, constitutional review of laws is the province of the office of the prosecutor (not the judiciary), and the judiciary completely lacks independence and applies the death penalty at the behest of the executive even when an “offense” is not a crime under the law, so its opinions might not have value as judicial precedent.

Articles 62-86 of the Constitution discuss fundamental rights and duties, but these are largely limited to economic and social rights and do not explicitly address the right to life or protections against arbitrariness or inhuman treatment. Article 15 asserts that North Korea will champion the “rights recognized by the international law” of Koreans abroad, but apart from this statement of foreign policy, the Constitution does not recognize any rights under international law applicable in the domestic sphere. According to the Library of Congress, the judiciary does not exercise constitutional review. The 2010 Constitution, however, states that the prosecutor’s office assures government compliance with the Constitution.

The Human Rights Committee concluded in its 2001 observations that it welcomed the reduction of the number of criminal offenses carrying the death penalty from 33 to 5 and the country’s expressed readiness to review capital punishment with a view to its abolition. (In 2007, however, North Korea added 17 death-eligible crimes to its Criminal Code, and in 2014 media sources reported that an additional 6 capital offenses were added. ) The Human Rights Committee was concerned that political offenses were the main crimes that were punishable by death and that their terms were so broad that the imposition of the death penalty may be subject to essentially subjective criteria, and not confined to “the most serious crimes” only as required under article 6(2) of the Covenant. The Committee was also concerned at acknowledged and reported instances of public executions. It recommended that North Korea review and amend the Criminal Code to bring it into conformity with the requirements of article 6(2) of the Covenant.

In March 2013, the UN Human Rights Council established a Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in North Korea to investigate widespread and systematic human rights abuses with a view to ensuring accountability for violations that could amount to crimes against humanity. In its final report in February 2014, the Commission described “gross human rights violations” involving detention, executions and disappearances as “characterized by a high degree of centralized coordination between different parts of the extensive security apparatus.” People suspected of political offenses are detained incommunicado and their families are not informed of their fate, even if they die. The Commission compared conditions in North Korea’s secret political prison camps to “the horrors of camps that totalitarian States established during the twentieth century.” The Commission “concluded that “[a]s a matter of State policy, the authorities carry out executions, with or without trial, publicly or secretly, in response to political and other crimes that are often not among the most serious crimes.” It found that public executions and enforced disappearances are key elements in the state’s vast security apparatus that uses fear, coercion and punishment to preclude political dissent. The Commission recommended that the government declare an immediate moratorium on executions and abolish the death penalty.

The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in North Korea identified violation of the right to life, particularly the abusive application of the death penalty and the use of public executions, as one of the key human rights violations in North Korea. In his February 2013 report, the Special Rapporteur indicated that the UN General Assembly has repeatedly expressed concern at the application of capital punishment for political and religious reasons. He also pointed out the vagueness of the terms used in death penalty provisions that allow for the imposition of the death penalty to be subjective and arbitrary. Both the UN Secretary-General and the Special Rapporteur recommended that North Korea end public executions and adopt a moratorium on the death penalty.

In a report issued in September 2011, the UN Secretary-General expressed concern over the vagueness of political offense provisions that could lead to the subjective and arbitrary imposition of the death penalty, as well as the inadequate prison camp conditions.

The Human Rights Council, in its 2010 Universal Periodic Review, recommended that North Korea establish a moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty, end all public and extrajudicial executions, reduce the number of crimes punishable by the death sentence and respect minimum international standards such as the right to a fair trial, the limitation of the death penalty to the most serious crimes and the non-application of the death penalty to minors, pregnant women and persons suffering from mental diseases. North Korea rejected all recommendations. North Korean representatives told the UN Human Rights Council that public executions were carried out to punish “very brutal violent crimes” and used “in very exceptional cases,” often at the request of the victims’ families and relatives - despite media coverage to the contrary.

The government reportedly assigned lawyers to defendants at trial, but only to those who committed nonpolitical crimes. We found no information on whether lawyers are provided prior to trial, and no evidence that independent, non-governmental defense lawyers exist. We believe that most capital charges in North Korea are brought for political crimes, which means that many executed prisoners may have been sentenced without legal representation or even trials.

We found no information on whether the state provides lawyers for indigent prisoners on appeal. There are reports that in any event, authorities only provide lawyers and trials to non-political offenders. Citizens suspected of committing political crimes are taken to prison camps without trial and are unlikely to be provided with any possibility of appeal.

Defense lawyers reportedly do not serve as advocates of the defendant but more as “independent” parties to help persuade the accused to admit guilt, although they do present evidence to mitigate punishment. However, lawyers are reportedly assigned only to those accused of nonpolitical crimes. There are no reports of independent or nongovernmental defense lawyers.

North Korea has a three-tiered court system with the Central Court at the highest level, provincial or municipal courts at the intermediate level, and the people’s courts at the county level. The appellate process is usually a single appeal to the next highest court. The Central Court (which consists of a presiding judge, two vice-presidential judges, and an unknown number of other judges) has original jurisdiction over serious crimes against the State, so there is no appeal from a capital conviction for such a crime. The provincial courts (which consist of three-judge panels) have original jurisdiction over other serious crimes, so some capital convictions may be appealed to the Central Court. The people’s courts (where lay assessors are used) have original jurisdiction over most criminal cases, so it is possible that some capital convictions may ultimately be appealed only to the Provincial Court and are not heard on appeal by the highest court.

According to research by the Library of Congress, the Central Court does not exercise judicial review over the constitutionality of executive or legislative actions or have the power to protect individual rights against state actions. However, the 2010 Constitution states that the prosecutor’s office assures government compliance with the Constitution. Older reports indicate that the judiciary does not exercise constitutional review.

Under Article 53 of the Criminal Code, the First Chairman of the National Defence Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea or the Standing Committee of the Supreme People’s Assembly can grant clemency.

No. Although North Korea has lay people’s assessors in the people’s courts (which function as trial courts), they are elected by the organs of state power and therefore do not function as independent juries. Additionally, North Korea’s judiciary is not independent of political influences.

North Korea’s justice system exists mainly to promote the interest of the regime, and the judges and lawyers act on the orders of the Party. North Korean authorities often use torture to extract confessions, and many persons have been executed without receiving the benefit of a fair trial – or indeed, any trial at all. Alleged torture includes beating defendants with iron chains, rubber belts and wooden sticks. Others are tied with ropes, hanged upside down and subjected to electric shocks. Such abuse seriously undermines the legitimacy of any confession or conviction. Also, the State makes every member of a household accountable for the conduct of his immediate kin (although it is unlikely that the state executes kin for a relative’s crimes), while some criminal suspects escape punishment because of their family background. For example, the families of the twelve performers who were executed in August 2013 were sent to prison camps under the principle of guilt by association.

There are reportedly are several types of prisons, detention centers, and camps, including forced labor camps, political prison camps, correctional centers, labor reform centers, collection centers for low-level criminals, labor training centers, and interrogation facilities. Political prison camps, also known as Kwanliso, detain people for a range of crimes from criticism of the leadership to listening to South Korean broadcasts. An estimated 200,000 offenders and their families are held in two types of zones: Total Control Zone and Revolutionary Zone. Those held in the Total Control Zone are never released, as they are considered to have committed the most serious crimes such as anti-regime crimes. Sentences for detainees in the Revolutionary Zone who committed less serious crimes range from a few months to ten years. We believe that persons who commit political crimes are most likely to be sentenced to death and that many death row inmates are imprisoned in political prison camps. A total of approximately 100,000 to 200,000 prisoners are held in the prison and detention system in North Korea.

According to the South Korea Bar Association, North Korean inmates are forced to work for 12 to 15 hours a day throughout the year. Extrajudicial executions are carried out in political prison camps and detention facilities. Deaths occur also as a result of forced labor without adequate access to food or medical care. Although there is very limited information about the political prison camp conditions, Amnesty International’s report on the camp in Yodok (Kwanliso 15) reveals that it is barely habitable. One toilet is shared by 200 prisoners, no blankets are available in the winter, and public executions are carried out in front of prisoners. Detainees and prison guards reported that extreme hunger causes inmates to resort to eating snakes or rats. Prisoners receive little or no food, sanitation is poor and prisoners do not change their clothes during their incarceration and are rarely able to bathe or wash their clothing. We could not find information on or confirm the existence of ordinary prisons. But political prison camps are known to detain even those who have committed crimes as petty as listening to South Korean broadcasts.

By the end of our research, there were no known reports of foreign nationals on death row, although this could be related to the secrecy surrounding the death penalty in North Korea.

By the end of our research, there were no known reports of foreign nationals on death row, although this could be related to the secrecy surrounding the death penalty in North Korea.

There are none known but it seems highly likely that there are women under sentence of death since there were a number of recent executions of women. A woman was reportedly shot for distributing the Bible in 2009. In 2008, 13 women were publicly executed for attempting to flee to China.

We found no evidence of juveniles under sentence of death, but this could be due to the intense secrecy surrounding the application of the death penalty. North Korea’s Criminal Code prohibits the death penalty for crimes committed while under the age of eighteen. North Korea is a party to the ICCPR and has not made reservations to article 6(5), which bans the sentence of death for crimes committed by a person under the age of eighteen. According to Amnesty International, there is no evidence that any juvenile offenders have been executed in North Korea since it began keeping records in 1990.

The ethnic composition of the country is mostly Korean. The country strictly restricts the entrance of foreigners, going so far as to force pregnant Koreans entering from China to have abortions, evidencing serious discrimination against non-Koreans and an obvious intent to maintain racial purity. Based on the ethnic composition of the general population and such practices, our best guess is that most of the persons on death row are Koreans.

North Korea’s report to the U.N. Human Rights Committee in 2001 indicated that it had reduced the number of criminal offences carrying the death penalty from 33 to 5. The five offenses were (1) plots against national sovereignty, (2) terrorism, (3) treason against the Motherland by citizens, (4) treason against the people and (5) murder. However, reports indicate that 4 of 5 were defined by such subjective criteria as to essentially be political offences. On December 19, 2007, North Korea issued an “Addendum to the Criminal Code for Ordinary Crimes,” which expanded death-eligible crimes by sixteen crimes. In 2012, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in North Korea indicated that the addendum functioned as a complement to the Penal Code. Sixteen out of a total of 23 articles in the addendum stipulate the death penalty for crimes such as trafficking and dealing narcotics, seizing State property, currency counterfeiting, and unlawfully selling State resources. After the adoption of the addendum, the total number of death-eligible crimes became 22. However, media and NGO reports have corroborated that the number of death-eligible crimes is much larger in practice. Offenses punishable by death are very vaguely defined and death penalty is applied to “especially serious” cases, which can be interpreted to include even petty crimes.

Amnesty International reports that many executions in North Korea are extrajudicial executions, which appear to have increased after Kim Jong-un called for a crackdown on people who attempt to escape to China. Extrajudicial executions are especially prevalent in political prison camps, where public executions are carried out in front of the other prisoners. In March 2013, the U.N. Human Rights Council established the Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea with a mandate to investigate widespread human rights abuses. In August 2013, the Commission heard testimony on regular public executions taking place in secret political prison camps.

In early 2014, media sources reported that the Criminal Code was amended to extend the death penalty to 5 new offenses, including illegal phone contact with foreigners, listening to or viewing South Korean programs, using or dealing in drugs, human trafficking, and aiding and abetting defectors.

There are no signs that North Korea will cease or decrease its use of capital punishment. It has voted against all of the UNGA’s moratorium resolutions on the death penalty and also signed the Note Verbale of Dissociation four times in a row. North Korea also rejected all recommendations by the Human Rights Council to establish a moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty, end all public and extrajudicial executions, reduce the number of crimes punishable by death and respect minimum international standards such as the right to a fair trial, the limitation of the death penalty to the most serious crimes and the non-application of the death penalty to minors, pregnant women and persons suffering from mental diseases.

None.

Citizens’ Alliance for North Korean Human Rights
Gonghwangdang Building 10th fl. 7-2
Chungjeongro 2-ga Seodaemun-gu
Seoul, 120-012 South Korea
Tel: +82-2-723-1672
Fax: +82-2-723-1671
bongsa@nkhumanrights.or.kr
http://eng.nkhumanrights.or.kr/main.htm

U.S. Committee for Human Rights in North Korea
1001 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 435
Washington, DC 20036 USA
Tel: +1-202-499-7970
Fax: +1-202-758-2348
http://www.hrnk.org/
committee@hrnk.org.

No judicial decisions are available. Information on the death penalty is considered a state secret.

Amnesty Intl., North Korea: Political Prison Camps, ASA 24/001/2011, May 3, 2011.

David Johnson & Franklin Zimring, The Next Frontier, Oxford University Press, 2009.

U.N.G.A., Human Rights Council, Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in North Korea, U.N. Doc. A/HRC/22/57, Feb. 1, 2013. (The Special Rapporteur regularly publishes human rights reports every six months, which can be accessed at http://www.ohchr.org/en/countries/asiaregion/pages/kpindex.aspx).

Given the level of secrecy surrounding the application of the death penalty in North Korea, reliable data are scarce. We have utilized the best available sources in compiling the data presented here.