A young North Korean woman was publicly executed by firing squad in late January in Sinuiju, North Pyongan province, following her conviction for murder, Daily NK has learned.<\/p>\n
The execution was reportedly carried out in public as a deterrent amid rising violent crime linked to economic hardship. According to a source in North Pyongan province, the execution took place on Jan. 20 at an empty lot near Chaeha market, following an immediate public trial by city police and court officials.<\/p>\n
The condemned woman, identified only by her surname Lee and in her early 20s, was convicted of murdering an elderly couple in their 70s last October. The case had initially gone unsolved, with Daily NK reporting in November that authorities had failed to identify any suspects after a month of investigation. Three months later, Lee was arrested, swiftly tried, and executed.<\/p>\n
Prior to the murders, Lee had worked at a bag factory in downtown Sinuiju. During the public trial, authorities revealed she had received multiple warnings for theft before being dismissed by the factory’s party committee in October. Though North Korean workers fired for misconduct are required to accept hardship assignments from their local people’s committee labor section, Lee had repeatedly failed to report to her assigned post.<\/p>\n
According to trial testimony, when Lee ran out of money, she approached an elderly couple she knew and asked for shelter. While staying with them, she discovered their savings, murdered them, and fled with the cash. The judge condemned her for killing the elderly couple who had shown her kindness.<\/p>\n
The sudden execution immediately following the trial shocked onlookers who had gathered to watch the proceedings. Disturbingly, children under 10 were present in the crowd. “We didn’t know there would be a public execution. A lot of children there were traumatized seeing their first public execution,” the source said.<\/p>\n
While public executions in North Korea have decreased in recent years, authorities appear to be returning to harsher measures as economic conditions deteriorate and violent crimes increase. “As people struggle to make a living, more violent crimes are being committed. The authorities are responding with more public trials and firing squad executions, hoping to deter such crimes,” the source explained.<\/p>\n