North Korean officials reportedly executed a citizen who broke mandatory quarantine amid tough coronavirus restrictions in the country.
As reports have suggested, North Korean authorities have resorted to draconic measures, including lockdowns of entire regions, to counter the spread of the virus within the country amid the pandemic.
According to Radio Free Asia, sources in the country informed them that the authorities publicly executed a smuggler who violated “emergency quarantine measures” as a warning to others who do or would try the same.
“Since the end of November, the Central Committee have ratcheted up the existing emergency quarantine measures to ultra-high-level emergency quarantine measures,” a North Korea resident reportedly told RFA’s Korean Service.
“They held a public execution by firing squad to threaten residents here in the border area, because there’s been a lot of contact with people on the other side of the border, including a lot of smuggling.”
As the pandemic swept across the world, North Korea suspended trade with China and shut down the Sino-Korean border amid fears that the killer virus would cripple the country.
In response to the dire economic situation, smugglers have begun crossing the border in search of trading opportunities.
As the RFA reported, the North Korean authorities have imposed stricter rules in late 2020 whereas soldiers were told to shoot anyone within the 0.6-mile range of the border on sight. Landmines were allegedly also deployed to discourage people from crossing the border.
Speaking of the recent public execution, the source added:
“The public execution happened because the victim was charged with violating quarantine right before the ultra-high-level emergency measures took effect around November 20th. A man in his 50s who tried to smuggle with Chinese business partners was shot as an example on November 28th.”
The source reportedly also insisted that the authorities moved the site of the execution from Sinuiju to Ryongchon county to avoid the quick spread of the news and international scrutiny.
“While guarding the border seamlessly from the ground, in the air, and at sea, authorities ordered soldiers to shoot anyone approaching the border unconditionally, regardless of who the person is or their reason for being in the area. It is an absolute threat to the border area residents,” another source reportedly told RFA.
As the second source insisted, the public execution was carried out to scare the residents and make them stay away from smuggling.
“Whenever the people complain because their livelihoods are affected, the authorities always try to shut them up by threatening them with public executions or by sending them to political prison camps,” the source allegedly said.
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