North Korea has reportedly executed twelve individuals, all musicians and performers labelled as "dissidents," on August 20. The musicians involved members of Chinese performance group the Unhasu Orchestra, the Moranbong Band and the Wanjaesan Light Music Band. The most prominent of those killed was Hyon Song-wol, a Chinese singer who became popular in North Korea, and recorded the nation's 2005 hit "Excellent Horse-Like Lady," and other patriotically-themed music.
The charges were that the individuals had violated North Korea's pornography laws by distributing tapes of themselves having sex. Although the punishment does not fit the crime regardless, an expert said the execution was more likely to have been political minded. Other charges indicated that some of the victims had Bibles in their possession.
The victims were killed by firing squad. North Korea practices a "guilt-by-association" method of "justice," so the families of those executed were forced to watch before being shipped to prison camps.
There is some macabre, tabloid intrigue however. Kim Jong-Un, the president of North Korea, dated Song-wol during his younger years. Although his father was reported to have stepped in to end the relationship, there is speculation that Jung-Un could have been seeing Song-wol on the side. The leader's wife, Ri Sol-ju, was also once a singer in the Unhasu Orchestra, and it's been suggested that she may have manipulated the execution to wipe out a potential competitor. All of this is just rumors, of course, but if there's one nation that might be home to such corruption, North Korea is near the top of the list.
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