On July 2, 2023, DPRK People’s Court handed down death sentences to a gang of robbers in an open trial held at the public athletic field in ChongJin, HamKyungBukDo.
According to Freedom Chosun sources in HamKyungBukDo, six gang members were charged with crimes of murder, violence, looting, and illegal drug dealings. The prosecutor of the case stated that the men, former soldiers, formed a group called “Service Gang, BokMuDahn, 복무단” and committed 2 murders, 19 robberies, and 46 illegal drug dealings while dressed as members of the People’s Army.
The crimes were committed over the period of 3 years between April 2019 and May 2022. The gang of six was arrested in May 2022 and brought to public trial 14 months later.
Their arrest came when the State Security Department got involved in the investigation of the robber gang dressed in military uniform and the two murder cases occurring in September and December of 2021.
What’s unique about the verdict is that the People’s Court issued two death sentences. The first death sentence was for the anti-Party, anti-revolution, anti-nation crime of defaming the General’s (Kim Jong-un) army by masquerading as the People’s Army thereby intentionally damaging the blood relations between the people and the military. The second death sentence was due to the republic’s criminal procedure code on violent crimes such as murder, robbery, and drugs.
The two individuals killed by the gang were wealthy “donjus” in ChongJin—Mr. Kang, a head of a trading company, and Mr. Choi, a gas station operator. Also, a significant number of victims were from the wealthy class.
As far as the crowd witnessing the trial, they characterized the incident, as “a war between haves and have-nots.” However, their general reaction was that a death sentence was proper for murderers.
The HamKyungBukDo People’s Court, entrusted by the DPRK Central Court, conducted the open trial and announced the multiple death sentences. It directed the relevant department to carry out the sentence.
The source added that many death sentences via open trials remained on the books, unexecuted, to avoid international criticism.
Jang Se-yul
저작권자 ⓒ 프리덤조선 무단 전재 및 재배포 금지