NORTH KOREA. 98% OF DEFECTORS HAVE OBSERVED PUBLIC EXECUTIONS, POLL

results from a survey indicated that a large number of defectors who entered South Korea had witnessed public executions in North Korea more than once.
A defector based movement, Free North Korea Broadcasting, conducted a telephone survey in August 2006 consisting of 24 male defectors and 76 female defectors over the age of 20 years. The broadcast revealed that 98% of participants in the survey had witnessed public executions.
According to the survey, 49% of participants had witnessed public executions 6~10 times, 27% of participants 10~20 times and 6% of participants had witnessed public executions on more than 20 occasions. Further, 13% of defectors had witnessed public executions on 2~5 occasions, 3% of defectors only once and 2% of defectors had never witnessed a public execution. Of the defectors who had never witnessed a public execution, some responded that the thought “was terrifying and so did not attend the executions.”
Survey respondents revealed that murder and theft was the major crime committed by offenders, particularly during the food crisis in the mid-90’s. The broadcast revealed that in response to the question, “What strategies are used to evade public executions?”, the majority of defectors said personal background determined whether or not you had to attend public executions. Kim a female defector from Pyongyang, revealed: “As circumstances deteriorated, many people were sentenced to death for stealing either rations, honeyed water or trade. Even if crimes are petty, the government still sentences people to public execution as an example to those who commit crime."