[imText1]In the latest video footage of public execution released today, Yoo Bun Hee is executed in a show trial for a murder amid stealing 20lbs of corn.
The prosecutor convicted Yoo, a Hamju factory worker, of murdering an innocent girl to satisfy her ‘greed.’ Yoo killed the girl while trying to steal a dollar-worth corn. She exchanged the corn with money, bought some food, and then was arrested.
Somebody who has never experienced famine cannot understand Yoo’s action.
However, the reality of North Korea today is that a murder is committed to obtain mere 20lbs of corn. In the mid 90s, there were countless cases of such public execution of corn thieves. Starved people sneaked into farms and stole corn grains. Particularly, during that time period, armed forces protected the farm and rice mills to secure army provisions. Therefore, those residents caught during theft were considered committing felon.
Nevertheless, corn theft was not stopped, and, as a result, execution of the thieves was introduced. According to an anonymous former defector who had worked as a security officer in a county in South Pyongan Province, the authorities ordered the local branches to put two thousands to death every year. In order to make up for the instructed number, minor food robbers were executed, said ex-defector. It is estimated that total of 200 counties and cities executed 10 per year each.
I actually watched more than 10 public executions while in North Korea. Kim, who defected NK and arrived in Seoul in 2005, testified that he even observed more than tens of such public executions.
Another defector, Lee, recalled a case of farm worker, who was executed for pilfering military ration after he stole 200lbs of corn from a mill in Youngbyeon County, North Pyongan Province, in the winter of 1998.
It is assumed that more food thieves died in prison than those executed by firing squads during the famine. Food thieves were often punished by reduction of food in prison, because ‘there was no food even outside.’ Due to malnutrition, incalculable number of inmates died.
Even after their death, descendents of them, if still alive, are discriminated because of the felony, or theft of military ration that their parents committed, although most of the dead were just innocent people.
Public execution is still terrifying ordinary people of North Korea.
A recent defector, Choi, said that he saw a locomotive factory worker from South Pyongan Province publicly shot to death for trafficking loco pedals and a farm worker in Suncheon County, North Pyongan Province died of public execution for cutting off cooper wire.
This year is especially expected be short of food because of huge flood. It cannot be estimated how many people would be executed for stealing food for the rest of this year.
