The North Korean authorities publicly executed a citizen as punishment for violating the restrictive measures imposed amid the coronavirus, reports Radio Free Asia, citing sources.
Since late November, the [Korean Workers’ Party] Central Committee has stepped up existing emergency quarantine measures to ‘ultra-high-level emergency quarantine measures,’ “a resident of North Pyongan Province (Pyonganbuk-do) on the border with China told the publication.
“They staged a public execution with firing squad in order to scare local residents in the border area, as there was a lot of contact with people on the other side of the border, including a lot of smuggling,” the source said. A man in his 50s who was convicted of smuggling with Chinese business partners across a border that was closed for most of 2020 was sentenced to death.
China is North Korea’s largest trading partner and aid sponsor, but trade between the two countries has dropped 75 percent due to the pandemic. Fearing that smugglers could introduce the virus, the DPRK authorities have increased their military presence at the border to enforce restrictions.
In November it was reported that people were executed in North Korea, the capital was closed and suspended fishing and salt mining.
Despite the fact that North Korea publicly declares that there is no virus in the country, the government has decided to impose strict measures to prevent its spread, including imposing lockdowns in cities and counties, canceling major cultural events and banning travel between provinces.