North Korea executes two women for aiding defectors to South Korea

In a move that has raised international alarm, North Korea executed two women on August 31 after a public trial in Chongjin for assisting defectors in escaping to South Korea.

According to a report by Radio Free Asia, the women, identified as Ri, 39, and Kang, 43, were among approximately 500 North Koreans who were forcibly repatriated by China in October 2023.

The execution followed swift, severe legal proceedings as the North Korean government continues to crack down on those aiding defections.

Jang Se-yul, head of the South Korea-based human rights organization Gyeore'eol Unification Solidarity, confirmed the details of the case.

The women were charged with facilitating the escape of fellow North Koreans from China to South Korea, an act considered treasonous by the Pyongyang regime. In addition to the executions, nine other women received life sentences for similar offenses, marking a pattern of harsh reprisals against defectors and those helping them.

According to a local resident, the public trial was held in a crowded marketplace in Chongjin, attended by hundreds of people. The trial, lasting just an hour, concluded with officials from Hamgyong province immediately carrying out the execution. This act is part of North Korea's longstanding policy of punishing defectors and those assisting them, especially women, who make up a significant portion of North Korean escapees.

Many North Korean women fleeing to China are often exploited, sold into servitude, or forced into prostitution.

Ri and Kang had initially been sold into a Chinese entertainment business, but when other North Korean women expressed a desire to reach South Korea, the two women arranged for their escape, leading to their eventual arrest and execution.

China’s role in forcibly repatriating North Koreans has also drawn condemnation from the international community.

Despite being a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention and the United Nations Convention against Torture, China continues to repatriate North Korean escapees under a bilateral agreement with Pyongyang, labeling them as "economic migrants" rather than refugees.

Since 2020, China has returned over 670 North Koreans, including the large group of 500 last year.

Human rights organizations and South Korea have urged China to provide asylum or safe passage for North Korean escapees, warning that those repatriated face severe punishment, including torture and execution. Despite these appeals, China has continued to enforce its agreement with North Korea.