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Seoul says North Korea executes citizens for drugs, sharing South Korean videos
- Deaths occur in detention facilities and some people were summarily executed after being caught trying to cross the border, the South’s Unification Ministry said in a report
- The findings were based on testimony collected from more than 500 North Koreans who fled from their homeland
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North Korea executes people for drugs, sharing South Korean media, and religious activities as it stifles its citizens’ human rights and freedom, its rival, South Korea, said in a report on Thursday.
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South Korea’s Unification Ministry, which handles inter-Korean affairs, based the 450-page report on testimony collected from 2017 to 2022 from more than 500 North Koreans who fled from their homeland.
“North Korean citizens’ right to life appears to be greatly threatened,” the ministry said in the report.
“Executions are widely carried out for acts that do not justify the death penalty, including drug crimes, distribution of South Korean videos, and religious and superstitious activities.”
Reuters could not independently verify the South Korean government’s findings but they were in line with UN investigations and reports from non-governmental organisations.
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North Korea has rejected criticism of its rights conditions as part of a plot to overthrow its rulers.
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