North Korea is Wronged?

It seems that the execution video shown on CNN, and posted on this blog, was fake (at least according to that highly honest and credible government of the DPRK and its Dear Freak).

N.Korea says CNN execution image fabricated

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea on Saturday called a recent CNN program depicting a public execution in the communist state a "sheer fabrication" and dismissed it as a ratings ploy by the U.S.-based broadcaster.

North Korea takes any criticism of its internal affairs sensitively and brands it a part of U.S. conspiracy to topple the government of its leader, Kim Jong-il.

CNN earlier this month broadcast a documentary, "Undercover in the Secret State," which among other images showed a grainy clip of what it called a public execution by firing squad of a man accused of helping a refugee cross into neighboring China.

The entire smuggled video does not seem to be on the internet any more, but I posted a link to a part of it that the AP streams here.

Here is a more complete version (the AP one was cut).

Then there is this, North Korean Escapees: Public Executions Routine in Stalinist Country:

YANJI, CHINA. Hungry and Stalinist North Korea keeps its' people under firm grip with public executions and a wide network of informants and prison camps, people who escaped from the country to China, human rights organizations and various news publications say. According to the interviews with nine North Korean escapees, the public executions have become routine in their country.

The North Koreans told in the Chinese city of Yanji, that the executed ones are often first beaten up to a near-dead condition, their elbows, knees and ankles are crushed, which after they are tied to a pole and shot before a firing squad.

"Their eyes, hands, middle bodies and feet are tied. Then they shoot them in every place," tells a teenager girl, who says that altogether ten shots are being fired. She estimates to have eye-witnessed 15 executions.

A 30-year-old man tells in another interview situation, that there are nine shots. International Herald Tribune interviewed one year ago a man, who said that for each person there are three soldiers, who all shoot three times - one in the head, the other one in the chest and third one in the stomach. That testimony is in line with the information gathered in Yanji.

All of the interviewed said they had seen several public executions. "At least twenty", a middle-aged woman says. Also children are invited to come and see the executions, the North Koreans say.

"For the first time, I saw the execution from far distance. I got nightmares. But I was told, that if I look nearer, it won't come to my dreams. So, next time I went very close and it helped. I don't see dreams about it any more," explains a woman in her thirties.

If this story is just CNN's attempt to garner ratings, it seems a bit widespread.

Those of you who are regular readers know that public executions are not the worst of it. Read these posts;

North Korea's GULAG

North Korea's GULAG Pt. 2

Who is Ahn Chol?

Oppression of Christians in the DPRK

Yep, little murderer freak Kim and his misunderstood tyranny. There is a special place in Hell for him and all who give him aid and/or comfort.

UPDATE: The video links above no longer work. There is this on You Tube