A senior North Korean colonel was executed by firing squad on July 12 for allegedly embezzling state reserve grain, according to reports from Daily NK. The execution took place in front of members of his unit, who were reportedly left visibly distressed.
The colonel, from a coastal guard unit in Nampo, was accused of stealing several dozen tons of grain from a warehouse under his command. Officials reportedly spotted him attempting to transport the grain by vehicle towards Nampo port, leading to his arrest and subsequent questioning by the Military Security Bureau.
He was referred to a court-martial and received the maximum sentence for the offense, occurring amidst a reported domestic food crisis in North Korea. Following the execution, North Korean central leadership and the military's General Political Bureau are believed to have issued warnings against corruption within the armed forces, heightening fears among senior military officials.
Special security measures have reportedly been implemented around the Nampo port area, with an inspection team now scrutinizing all vessel entries and exits, as well as cargo loading. This increased scrutiny has made daily life more difficult for civilians in the vicinity, affecting the routine transportation of goods like construction materials and seafood.
According to United Nations findings from March 2025, over 45 percent of North Korea's population, approximately 11.8 million people, suffer from undernourishment. The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in North Korea, Elizabeth Salmón, noted that the government has shifted from accommodating informal markets to a state-monopoly on staple food sales. She also indicated that the public distribution system is discriminatory and irregular, with only those loyal to the leadership receiving consistent food supplies.
Past reports have detailed various reasons for executions ordered by Kim Jong Un, including minor offenses. Citizens have reportedly faced execution for acts such as listening to pop music or dozing off in the leader's presence. In one instance, a farm manager was executed after all baby terrapins at a state-run facility died, shortly after being berated by Kim Jong Un.
Executions in North Korea have taken various forms, including shooting by firing squads and secret indoor executions. Notable cases include the execution of Defense Minister Hyon Yong-chol in 2015, allegedly for showing disloyalty and falling asleep during an event, and a stage lighting engineer executed for making a phone call to South Korea, with his family subsequently imprisoned. Other crackdowns have targeted cultural and religious activities, with individuals executed for distributing Bibles or consuming South Korean media, such as television dramas or K-pop music.