North Korean Fishing boat captain publicly executed for listening to foreign radio while at sea
The owner of a North Korean fishing fleet was publicly executed for listening to a banned US-funded radio station while at sea, according to a report.
The captain — a man in his 40s identified only by his last name, Choi — was gunned down by a firing squad in mid-October for regularly listening to Radio Free Asia over a “long period of time,” a law enforcement source in North Korea told the outlet
“Choi was the owner of a fleet of over 50 ships,” the source said. “During an investigation by the provincial security department, Captain Choi confessed to listening to RFA broadcasts since the age of 24 when he was serving in the military as a radio operator.”
Listening to the banned station “brought back fond memories” of Choi’s military career, the source said, adding that authorities were tipped off about his prohibited conduct by a crewman at his base in the port city of Chongjin.
“We know that the provincial security department defined his crime as an attempt of subversion against the party,” the source continued. “They publicly shot him at the base in front of 100 other captains and managers of the facility’s fish processing plants.”
Choi had been reeling in fish for the government of North Korean despot Kim Jong Un, who ordered fishermen to ramp up their hauls during food shortages and international sanctions aimed at curbing its nuclear arsenal, according to the report.