North Korea has executed a ‘big shot’ couple accused of being arrogant and anti-republic after the success of their business.
Hundreds of people, including children, are said to have been forced to watch as a firing squad shot them dead in an open space in Pyongyang.
The pair, in their 50s, ran a private operation that sold, repaired, and rented electric bicycles, battery-powered motorcycle parts, and ordinary bikes.
Although they were formally registered with the Central Committee of the General Federation of Trade Unions in Sadong District, reports say they made significant profits on the side and became known as ‘big shots’.
Some residents held resentment toward them because of high wholesale prices, complaints about quality and what locals described as arrogant behaviour.
According to Daily NK, authorities accused them of violating the Rejection of Reactionary Thought and Culture Act. They were also alleged to have worked with an external organisation to illegally move foreign currency and spread anti-state messages.
After their arrest in early August, they were jointly interrogated and given a death sentence in early September. Around 20 people connected to them were reportedly given sentences of exile or reeducation.
The execution, held at an open space in Mirim, was witnessed by residents who had been ordered to attend.
A source said: ‘All managers, such as market managers and stall managers, were required to attend, so over 200 residents gathered at the time.’
A photograph from an earlier public sentencing. The couple, accused of being arrogant after the success of their business, were executed with hundreds of residents ordered to watch
According to reports, parents who had no childcare options were forced to bring their young children.
The source added: ‘Residents who had no place to leave their children had no choice but to bring them out. Middle school students passing by also joined the adults without any resistance and witnessed the horrific scene.’
Officials told residents that the execution was meant to act as ‘a model for preventing economic chaos and educating the public.’
The punishment was widely seen as a warning intended to cut off outside links and tighten the state’s control over private business operations.
The timing also raised attention – the execution took place shortly after the country’s dictator, Kim Jong-un, returned from a visit to China.
The source said it sent a message that ‘there are no exceptions to internal discipline, even when cooperating with foreign countries,’ and that it was part of a broader attempt to halt private business practices that go beyond what the state allows.
‘It’s clear that the intention is to show that anyone who goes even slightly beyond the limits permitted by the state can be punished as an example,’ the source said.
‘All the business people are afraid after seeing this incident and thinking, ‘We could get caught at any time, too.’
Residents who witnessed the killings were described as overwhelmed by fear.
Market activity reportedly dropped sharply for several days. Businesses connected to the couple collapsed, and prices of batteries and related parts suddenly rose or stopped moving altogether.
The decision to allow children to witness the execution also caused alarm.
The source said this had the effect of exposing minors to extreme violence, which many saw as deliberate.
‘This incident is not simply about punishing acts of ‘disrupting economic order,’ the source said. ‘It is about instilling fear in the public, especially among the youth, that ‘the state can punish anyone if it wants to.’
North Korea has continued to carry out public executions as a means to instil fear and prevent people from doing what it deems as anti-republic.
Most executions are by firing squad, which includes three soldiers shooting multiple rounds at the convicted individual. Executions by hanging have also been reported.
Crowds are often ordered to attend the killings. Offences such as distributing foreign media can lead to a death sentence.
Last year, a 22-year-old was killed for distributing K-pop from South Korea.
