North Korea publicly executes 80, some for videos or Bibles, report says

Malaysia North Korea _Leff

July 27, 2013 – FILE photo of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, waving to war veterans during a mass military parade celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Korean War armistice in Pyongyang, North Korea. (AP)

As many as 80 people were publicly executed in North Korea earlier this month, some for offenses as minor as watching South Korean movies or possessing a Bible.

South Korean newspaper JoongAng Ilbo reported that the so-called criminals were put to death in seven cities across North Korea on Nov. 3, in the first known large-scale public executions by the Kim Jong-un regime.

A source, who is familiar with internal affairs in the North and who recently visited the country, told the paper that about 10 people were killed in each city.

Eight people — their heads covered with white bags — were tied to stakes at a local stadium in the city of Wonsan, before authorities shot them with a machine gun, according to the source.

Wonsan authorities gathered a crowd of 10,000 people, including children, at Shinpoong Stadium and forced them to watch the killings.

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North Korea sailors killed when ship sinks during ‘combat duties’

north-korean-navy(Reuters)—At least 19 North Korean sailors were killed when a naval vessel sank during “combat duties” off the east coast last month, state media said, a rare admission by the impoverished and reclusive country.

South Korean media said the ship sank during a drill killing “scores”.

Photos released by North Korea’s KCNA state news agency showed leader Kim Jong Un laying flowers at the foot of a memorial to the dead, encircled by at least 19 graves emblazoned with the faces of the sailors.

“Submarine chaser No. 233 fell while performing combat duties in mid-October,” KCNA said.

Read more at Reuters