North Korea executes citizen for breaching COVID-19 rules

North Korea has reportedly executed one of its citizens for violating emergency quarantine measures on COVID-19 in the country.

Report said the man was executed by firing squad after he was accused of smuggling with his Chinese business partners.

The execution, according to the report, was ordered by North Korean authorities in order to scare other citizens into strict compliance with the emergency quarantine measures in the country.

North Korea, which shares a border with China, has implemented a number of severe restrictions to halt the spread of the virus, including a travel ban.

READ ALSO: Couple executed in North Korea for trying to flee amid COVID-19 pandemic

“Since the end of November, the Central Committee [of the North Korean Workers’ Party] have ratcheted up the existing emergency quarantine measures to ‘ultra-high-level’ emergency quarantine measures,” a resident of North Pyongyang province, on the border with China in the country’s North-West, told journalists.

“The public execution took place because the victim was charged with violating quarantine right before the ultra-high-level emergency measures put in place by North Korean government took effect around November 20.

“A man in his 50s who tried to smuggle with Chinese business partners was shot as an example on November 28.”

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