DPR Korea: UN report finds human rights situation still dire, a decade on
news.un.org
The death penalty in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) is “more widely allowed by law and implemented in practice” than a decade ago, said a senior UN human rights official on Friday.

…

"We do have credible evidence that individuals have been executed – not just for watching K-dramas. The crime is for distributing at a certain level, foreign information, foreign media,” says [James Heenan, head of the UN’s rights office working on North Korea, highlighted the severity of the human rights violations, where even a minor offence can result in punishment].

The report found that new laws, policies and practices have been leading to increased surveillance and control over citizens, some of whom have ended up in forced labour camps, as political prisoners.

…

In a form of forced labour called “shock brigades,” Authorities in Pyongyang have reportedly used thousands of orphans and street children to work in coal mines and other environments, exposing them to hazardous materials and long working hours, the UN report said.

Mr. Heenan further added that school children are also used to do “backbreaking” work collecting harvests and while they were supposed to be in class.

…