[imText1]The DailyNK has been reported of the news about the public trial and execution that took place Huiryeong on March 1.
On this day’s trial, two men were publicly executed who are identified to be Choi Jae Gon and Park Myung Gil. Two other men were sentenced to life imprisonment and seven other criminals were sentenced to maximum fifteen years and minimum ten years of imprisonment.
The public execution was held at Execution Site in Ohbong-ri of Huiryeong city, and according to the testimonies of the residents who were gathered for this day’s execution, the security guards of the Security Department “strongly recommended” the residents to attend the public trial. All the factories and giupso (state run enterprises) in Huiryeong city were closed for the morning.
From one hour before the public trial started, the security guards forced the people to gather in front of Huiryeong Market, standing on every corner of the residential area.
At 10:40 a.m., the public trial commenced with the Secretary of the Pople’s Security Department of Huiryeong city’s announcement, “According to the criminal law of the People’s Republic of Korea, we will now begin a public trial for Choi Jae Gon and ten others who have committed crimes of betrayal of nation such as transgression of the national border and human trafficking.”
According to the testimonies of the Huiryeong residents, the attorney from North Hamkyung province sentenced to Choi Jae Gon and Park Myung Gil to death among the eleven criminals tried on this day. He also sentenced a man and a woman to life imprisonment, and the man was accused of “trying to sell the remains of American troops and the military number code necklace in China.” The rest seven criminals were sentenced to ten to fifteen years of imprisonment in labor detention camp.
Choi Sang Hun, (pseudo name, 32 years old) who was present at the execution site explained the situation as, “After the attorney’s announcement of sentence, the lawyers agreed with the sentence given, and the attorney commanded for the execution to be held.”
“They set two wooden posts and tied the hands of the two men to be executed to the posts, who already had their hands behind them, and covered their eyes with towels. I looked at my watch, and it was eleven o’clock sharp. Six soldiers stood in a straight line and shot Choi Jae Gon three times. When Choi fell down, the soldiers shot at Park Myung Gil three times. Park’s head flew away. Then they shot Park three times again. In total, I heard nine gun shots,” said Choi.
The public execution which has started since the end of the last year is interpreted to be the “exemplary execution” for those inovlved in the “anti-socialism group” known to be active mostly around the Sino-Korean border area. Especially those who assist the ones in the “anti-socialism group,” were accused of human trafficking and were persecuted in cruelest manners, which agian, proves that politics of fear rules the North Korean society.
Meanwhile, according to a North Korean defector protecting organization in China, a video clip that contains scenes of the public execution is to be revealed to the public in few days.
