North Korea executes 'arrogant' businessmen

North Korea executes 'arrogant' businessmen

Two businessmen who were deemed “arrogant” after their success in North Korea have been executed in an open field. Hundreds of people, including children, were forced to watch the execution, according to the Daily Mail.
The executed men were involved in the sale, repair and rental of parts for electric bicycles and battery-powered motorcycles. They were called “senior executives” because of their high incomes, and some residents were said to be dissatisfied with their high prices and arrogant behavior. They were also charged with violating the law “On Refusing to Accept Reactionary Thought and Culture”, as well as illegally converting foreign currency and collaborating with a foreign organization to spread anti-state messages. They were arrested in early August, interrogated together and sentenced to the death penalty in early September. About 20 people associated with them were sent to exile or labor camps.
The executions were interpreted as a warning that “it is impossible to cross the state-imposed border.” After the incident, trading activity in the markets has sharply decreased, prices in the battery market have increased or trading has stopped. Fear is said to have increased among the population.