North Korea publicly executes fishing boat captain for listening to foreign radio
Fishermen going out in their boats from Mount Kumgang port in North Korea. File/ AFP
Gulf Today Report
In a tragic incident, a captain of a fishing boat has been executed publicly in North Korea for listening to foreign radio broadcast.
Radio Free Asia (RFA) brought the incident to light.
The man was believed to be in his 40s.
According to a section of a media, the execution happened in front of 100 other captains and fishing executives to instill fear among them that defying the authorities would result in such consequences.
The captain, whose name was not available, served in the military.
He developed the habit of listening to foreign broadcast while at sea.
Sources associated with the case said that the captain once admitted to have been listening to US government media outlet for over 15 years.
An angry member of the company spread the information about his deeds to authorities.
The mariner was part of the North Korea President Kim Jong Un’s fishing team.
Kim had asked fishermen to increase their daily catch to fight off international sanctions.
Radio Free Asia Korean said on its Facebook page, “It is known that the captain of the North Korea's hamgyeongbuk-do Cheongjin city has been shot by the charges of listening to free Asia broadcasting over a long term.”
The captain was leading a fleet of 50 ships.
He confessed during internal investigation of listening to foreign radio broadcast for 15 years.
North Korea takes bizarre steps to bar its population from accessing information from outside world.
Violators are treated with strict punishment.
