North Korea publicly executes 80 people: S Korean paper

Jeez... maybe the leader should take a moment and recall how avid a fan of Western TV his dad was.

Anything is possible and perhaps that is what they were indeed charged with and killed for.

Or were these prisoners actually being executed for other crimes, the only public reasons being given, for maximum mass shock value, that they were caught watching foreign TV shows or engaging in prostitution?

I'm looking forward to the day Kim Jong Un stands in front of the muzzle.

"Most were charged with watching illicit South Korean TV dramas"

That'll teach those infidels!

OK, so if watching some TV programs is cause for execution by firing squad, what's the punishment for running the country into the ground and denying liberty to its citizens?

what's the punishment for running the country into the ground and denying liberty to its citizens?

At some point, the same punishment. It is just a matter of time.

"Ronery!♩ I'm so ronery!♩"

Sorry... Couldn't resist...

Not only do I not trust North Korea, but I don't trust our official mouth pieces to report on North Korea accurately. So I appreciate nandakandamanda's comment.

Can they not shoot the makers of soap operas instead?

This is such a crap, messed up country!! Poor bastards living under the North Korean regime, are in a LIVING HELL!!

I wonder if Dennis Rodman was invited to the glorious event. Himself beeing a western entertainer perhaps he could have had the honor of 'ready-aim-fire' for his friend Kim the horrible.

A news headline based on 1 unidentified source, according to a right-wing South Korean group.

80 according to the headline, read the story and that then becomes 8.

Another defector-led news site said it had no information of any executions.

I'm no fan of the North Korean regime, but don't be led astray by media hype.

They're trying to make an example out of those people. But they will fail because the North Korean upper apparatus themselves have been watching and listening to South Korean media, and the rot is so widely spread, it's impossible to stop it. Yes, the ones who are doing the policing, are also the ones watching them. This is according to recent North Korean defectors who were once high government officials and members of their families.

TigersTokyoDome, I agree with your post in general, but the eight people were in Wonsan alone. People were said to have been executed in 7 cities, the article says.

These public executions have happened before as I have seen photographs of them, so if this news is true, it wouldn't be the first time. I am sad that such things are still considered necessary in this day and age.

The pudgy Un must be worried that his cushy job is under threat. Just remember, Un, what goes around comes around.

I am no fan of that brutal North Korean regime. But let's be honest, when a news site relies on a story from a very anti-North Korean agency (ex-defectors) and they themselves only had the 1 unidentified source, then we are falling into the realms of news media influencing. I would rather rely on more solid facts.

Public firing squad or not, it is the classic example of "the <1% = mafia ruling elite" who has unchecked power over the clueless 99%+ in N.Korea. It is criminal acts against humanity, but do not count on U.N. to do anything. Shame.

but do not count on U.N. to do anything.

The U.N. was established to deal with internal human rights violations. Its not in the charter to do so because U.N. member nations (who make the rules) don't want that power in there. So don't get annoyed and disappointed with the U.N. Get annoyed with the major players who hamstrung it.

N.Korea was a member state that signed the U.N. charter. How dysfunctional U.N maybe, there should be a mechanism to deter such behavior by any member state. Obviously, U.N. has lost its founding purpose thus turning to be a place for exploitation by member states. U.N. has failed to enforce its own rule very often in the name of diplomacy. In private sector, this unaccountably ans wasteful spending would not survive at all. Every member state including the major players are busy pursuing their own interest and by disregarding the core principle of the charter. The protocol takes over the quality and contents thereof. That 's what "shame" refer to.

Those executed knew the risk they were taking. Having a difficult time feeling sorry for them.

The information is doubtful.

In 2004 there were reports that North Korea is executing entire families in gas chambers. Those reports turned out to be fabricated: See

http://english.people.com.cn/200403/31/eng20040331_138993.shtml

Those reports turned out to be fabricated:

For someone who claims to be suspicious of 'the media', one would think you would save a little for a press conference Pyonyang arranged by the North Korean government. In fact, having a look at the evidence of people like Kwon Hyok.

He tells a different story and I believe him over the NK government.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/this_world/3440771.stm

slumdog, please note that the BBC story which you cite came first (end of January 2004) and its rebuttal came later (end of March 2004). The testimonies included in the rebuttal cannot be dismissed.

Allegations over atrocities that emerge on the backdrop of such a profound antagonism between North Korea and the guardians of capitalism can be true, but they can also be false and fabricated. One prominent such allegation against North Korea was that it brought down KAL flight 858 in 1987; see, for example, "Korean Air Flight 858" in Wikipedia. There was even a discussion in the UN Security Council about this event. The proceedings of that discussion, where each side tells its story, are available and illuminating (when read closely).

The testimonies included in the rebuttal cannot be dismissed.

Sure they can. The 'press conference' was in Pyonyang and arranged by the NK government. There are no specific facts or proof presented in the article that you claim is 'testimony'. It was not 'testimony'. It was an announcement created and presented by the NK government. You linked a Chinese newspaper reporting what was in the North Korean newspaper. Those are the only two places the article is ever mentioned. Of course the BBC report came out first. There have been others, too. Up to about 10 years ago, the NK government also said they had no Japanese people in NK that had been brought over. They were lying though, weren't they? Similarly, you add no new information to the discussion about KAL flight 858. Saying you believe NK and their government is your own decision. Don't expect the rest of us to follow along without reason. You have provided no reason to believe the NK government. Certainly, neither has the NK government.

Ah, you are right, slumdog: If someone makes a statement in London or in Seoul about what he/she has experienced then that is a testimony, whereas such a statement made in Pyongyang is a government announcement. You are also right about flight 858: I didn't add any new information, just indicated where the information can be found. I see, the claim that eighty people where executed in public for minor transgressions without trial is irrefutable, no matter what, because the DPRK is not entitled, by definition, to refute any allegation raised by its adversaries.

Ah, you are right, slumdog

Yes, I am. The statements made by the returning Japanese abductees (you know, the ones that NK originally said did not exist) speak loudly and clearly to the lies the NK government tells on a daily basis both to its own people and to those abroad. Also speaking loudly are the videos taken out by aid groups showing the real situation in NK. You know, the one NK denies exists on a daily basis.

because the DPRK is not entitled, by definition, to refute any allegation raised by its adversaries.

They can refute all they want to. However, we do not have to believe them, especially when we know their habit of spinning tales. Acting as though NK people were speaking of their own free will is ridiculous. Free will is not allowed there. As such, there is no reason to believe anything people are told to say at an NK press conference. If you would like to prove me incorrect, show me a follow up to the press conference in Pyonyang.

@RomeoRII

Those executed knew the risk they were taking. Having a difficult time feeling sorry for them.

That's pretty harsh don't you think? Those poor people live pretty grim lives in North Korea. They are just looking for a bit of freedom to escape Lil' Kim's socialist paradise. The downtrodden will always seek their own little victories over their oppressors - even knowing the potentially brutal consequences.