Ordinary activities that can Get you killed in North Korea

Life Under the Sword: Normal Acts That Can Lead to Execution in North Korea

North Korea, under the rule of Kim Jong-un, is infamous for its brutal and repressive regime. The country’s legal system is designed to maintain absolute control over its citizens, and it does so by wielding the death penalty as a tool of fear. While the world is aware of the regime's harsh punishments for crimes such as political dissent and attempts to defect, what is perhaps even more shocking is that ordinary, everyday activities—considered normal in most parts of the world—can also result in execution in North Korea.

1. Consuming or Distributing Foreign Media

One of the most startling examples of a normal activity that can lead to death in North Korea is the consumption or distribution of foreign media. In most countries, watching movies, listening to music, or reading books from other cultures is a common and harmless pastime. However, in North Korea, consuming foreign media, especially content from South Korea or the United States, is viewed as an existential threat to the regime’s control over information.

Possessing a South Korean drama, an American film, or a pop song is considered “reactionary ideology and culture” and can lead to severe punishment, including execution. The regime fears that exposure to foreign content could undermine its propaganda, making this a capital offense. Those caught distributing such media are often publicly executed to serve as a warning to others.

2. Practicing Religion

While practicing religion is a personal and spiritual act in most parts of the world, it is considered a crime in North Korea, where the state demands absolute loyalty. Christianity, in particular, is seen as a direct challenge to the regime. The possession of a Bible, participation in underground religious services, or even the act of praying can result in execution.

The regime views religious beliefs as incompatible with its totalitarian ideology, where devotion to the state and its leader must override all other loyalties. Entire families have been executed for practicing Christianity, with the regime aiming to eliminate what it sees as a dangerous ideological threat.

3. Making Casual Remarks About the Leader

In North Korea, making even a casual or offhand remark about the leader, Kim Jong-un, or his predecessors can be a fatal mistake. Any form of criticism, no matter how slight, is treated as treason. The regime demands not just obedience but also reverence for its leaders, and anything less is considered an attack on the state.

People have been executed for uttering jokes, sarcastic comments, or even expressing frustration with the leadership. These acts are seen as a threat to the regime's image and are swiftly punished by death to discourage any form of dissent.

4. Wearing “Unapproved” Clothing or Hairstyles

Fashion and personal style are areas where most people exercise individual expression, but in North Korea, these are strictly controlled by the state. Wearing clothes or sporting hairstyles that are deemed too Western or unpatriotic can lead to severe punishment, including execution. Skinny jeans, certain haircuts, dyed hair, and even specific accessories like piercings are banned as symbols of Western decadence.

These restrictions are part of the regime’s broader effort to prevent any cultural influence from seeping into the country. Violations are seen as a form of ideological contamination, and those who defy these rules may be publicly executed as a deterrent to others.

5. Listening to Foreign Radio Broadcasts

In a country where information is tightly controlled, listening to foreign radio broadcasts is an act of defiance that can have deadly consequences. In most countries, tuning into a foreign station is an ordinary way to access news or entertainment. However, in North Korea, it is considered espionage.

The regime views access to foreign information as a direct threat to its monopoly on truth. Those caught listening to or sharing information from foreign broadcasts face execution, often carried out in public to reinforce the regime's absolute control over the flow of information.

6. Engaging in Small-Scale Economic Activities

In many parts of the world, small-scale economic activities, such as selling goods in a market or trading items with neighbors, are part of daily life. In North Korea, however, these activities can be considered illegal, especially if they bypass the state’s control.

Engaging in private trade, smuggling goods, or even simply trying to survive outside the bounds of the state-controlled economy can result in execution. The regime views any form of economic independence as a challenge to its authority and punishes such behavior harshly.

Conclusion

In North Korea, the death penalty is not reserved for the most heinous of crimes. Instead, it is a tool used by the regime to maintain its stranglehold on power by instilling fear in its citizens. Everyday activities—such as watching a foreign movie, practicing a religion, making a joke, or wearing certain clothes—can lead to execution. This extreme use of capital punishment highlights the oppressive nature of life under Kim Jong-un, where even the most mundane aspects of daily life are subject to the harshest penalties.