A rights group found some of those executed had committed crimes like theft and watching South Korean TV.
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North Korea human rights
North Korea's Mass Games grand opening
The country's most important propaganda event will be stopped from 10 June, foreign tour firms say.
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As talks with the US stall, the North appears to be preparing for greater ideological isolation.
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Laura Bicker
BBC News, Seoul
Why we should be cautious about reports that North Korea has executed its key envoy Kim Hyok-chol.
Read moreNorth Koreans trapped in 'vicious cycle of deprivation, corruption and repression'
"North Koreans are trapped in a vicious cycle of deprivation, corruption and repression" according to the United Nations Human Rights Office, which has released research based on more than 200 first hand accounts. The report says access to life’s most basic necessities depended on the ability of individuals to bribe state officials and that 43% of people are under nourished. Dan Collinge, from the UN Office for Human Rights, told Newsday that the issue of human rights must be made part of high level negotiations between governments and North Korea. (Photo: Military parade in Pyongyang Credit: Getty Images)
Thousands of North Korean women and girls are forced to work in China's sex trade, a new report says.
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Millions are at risk as North Korea says this is the worst drought to hit in decades.
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Kim Jong-un said peace on the Korean peninsula would depend entirely on Washington's future attitude.
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The country's foreign ministry claims the US Secretary of State is "reckless" in nuclear talks.
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