North Korea executes two teenagers by firing squad for watching South Korean movies

• Boys, aged between 16 and 17, shot dead in city of Hyesan back in October 
• Pair were accused of selling South Korean movies on pocket USB drives 
• They were shot alongside a boy accused of murdering his stepmother with terrified locals, who were forced to watch, told the crimes were ‘equally evil’ 

Two teenagers in North Korea have been killed by firing squad for watching and selling movies from neighbouring South Korea.

The pair, both boys thought to be aged between 16 and 17, were shot on an airfield in front of terrified locals in the city of Hyesan, on the border with China, back in October – though news of their deaths only emerged last week.

A third boy of the same age was executed alongside them for murdering his stepmother, with locals told the crimes were ‘equally evil.’

Two boys aged between 16 and 17 were marched on to an airfield in the city of Hyesan back in October and shot in front of locals for selling thumb drives containing South Korean films

Two sources who were forced to watch the executions confirmed what had happened to Radio Free Asia.

One said: ‘Hyesan residents gathered in groups at the runway. 

‘The authorities put the teen-aged students in front of the public, sentenced them to death, and immediately shot them.’

Foreign media, particularly anything deemed to be ‘Western’, is strictly prohibited in North Korea.

Kim Jong-un’s regime views South Korea as an American puppet state, and is particularly sensitive to any of its media crossing the border. 

But despite strict controls, such items are often smuggled into the country on USB drives or SD cards.

These are typically brought over the border from China and then bartered among North Koreans.

Kim Jong-un’s regime strictly forbids any foreign media deemed to be ‘Western’, which includes South Korea movies and films because Seoul is viewed as an American puppet

The ruling Communist regime uses informants recruited from the general population in order to catch those selling the drives.

In the case of the two teenagers, one of these spies reported them for hawking thumb drives containing the programmes in the local marketplace.

Such executions are rare in North Korea but not unheard of, and are typically used to terrify people into obedience when authorities are worried about rule-breaking.

North Korean youth caught watching foreign movies face being sent to a disciplinary labour centre, one source in Hyesan said.

A second offence means being sent to a correctional camp for five years along with their parents, as punishment for failing to discipline their children.

But anyone caught distributing or selling South Korean movies can face the death penalty, even if they are minors, the source added.

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