Human rights report

A report released Tuesday by the Seoul-based Transitional Justice Working Group (TJWG) shows executions in North Korea surged during the COVID-19 pandemic for offenses including watching South Korean cultural content. Of 144 confirmed executions over Kim Jong-un's 13-year rule from 2011 to 2024, 65 occurred after the border closure at the pandemic's start. The findings draw from testimonies of 265 North Korean defectors and reporting by five media organizations with in-country contacts.