A new UN report warns that North Korea is increasingly using the death penalty, including against citizens caught watching or sharing foreign films and TV dramas. The regime has also expanded forced labour and tightened control over daily life, aided by modern surveillance technologies, according to BBC.

Based on interviews with over 300 escapees from the past decade, the report finds public executions are used to instil fear, food shortages are widespread, and informal markets that helped families survive have been restricted. Political prison camps remain operational, with detainees facing torture, malnutrition, and death, though minor improvements in guard violence were noted.

Since Kim Jong Un shifted focus from diplomacy to nuclear weapons in 2019, living conditions have worsened, and attempts to escape the country are heavily restricted. Forced labour now includes children and orphans in hazardous work, often glorified as sacrifices to the regime, BBC reported.

The UN urges North Korea to abolish political prison camps, end the death penalty, and promote human rights education. UN High Commissioner Volker Turk highlighted the strong desire for change, especially among young North Koreans, and called for international action despite repeated blocks by China and Russia at the UN Security Council.