North Korea executes 80 people for minor offenses

(UPI) -- North Korea publicly executed 80 people by firing squad this month, some for offenses as minor as watching South Korean entertainment videos.

While news out of the closed-off nation is difficult to pin down, both a South Korean newspaper and a news agency run by North Korean defectors reported the story.

According to the JoongAng Ilbo, the executions took place across seven cities on November 3, and are the first large-scale public executions since Kim Jong Un took over as supreme leader following the death of his father.

A source, who is familiar with North Korean internal affairs and recently visited the country, said around 10 people in each city were tied to stakes, had hoods put over their heads, and were then sprayed with machine gun fire.

The source said authorities forced some 10,000 people to gather in Shinpoong Stadium in Wonsan to watch.

"I heard from residents that they watched in terror as the corpses were riddled by machine-gun fire that they were hard to identify afterwards," the source said.

The other cities were Chongjin in North Hamyong Province, Sariwon in North Hwanghae Province and Pyongson in South Pyongan.

The executed were accused of charges related to South Korea, such as illegally trafficking South Korean videos, owning a Bible or disseminating pornography.

In August, nine members of the Unhasu Orchestra, which first lady Ri Sol Ju once sang with, were executed after a pornography scandal that might have reached Ri came to light. Some analysts speculated last week's executions may have been connected.