North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un

NORTH KOREA: FIVE OFFICIALS EXECUTED FOR CRITICISING KIM JONG-UN'S ECONOMIC POLICIES

September 14, 2020:

North Korea on 30 July 2020 executed five government officials after they spoke out against the regime's economic policies, it has been reported.
All five Economic Ministry employees were shot by firing squad after details of their conversations emerged at a dinner party and were reported back to their bosses, according to DailyNK.
The men had openly discussed the need for industrial reform in the militarised nation state which produces few consumer goods for its impoverished citizens.
The officials had also apparently discussed the need for North Korea to seek foreign cooperation to help overcome devastating trade sanctions.
They also expressed fears that the stagnant economy would get even worse if improvements were not made quickly.
Their discussions soon reached the heads of the Economic Ministry who reported their actions to the authorities prompting an internal investigation.
The men, who were considered highly competent officials within the ministry, were summoned to a meeting where they were arrested by the secret police and forced to confess to undermining the regime.
In addition, it is said their families were transferred to a political prison camp (station 15) in Yodeok, Hamgyeongnam-do - one of the nation's most notorious sites for political dissidents.