<p>North Korea executes people for drugs, sharing South Korean media, and religious activities as it stifles its citizens' human rights and freedom, its rival, South Korea, said in a report on Thursday.</p>.<p>South Korea's Unification Ministry, which handles inter-Korean affairs, based the 450-page report on testimony collected from 2017 to 2022 from more than 500 North Koreans who fled from their homeland.</p>.<p>"North Korean citizens' right to life appears to be greatly threatened," the ministry said in the report.</p>.<p>"Executions are widely carried out for acts that do not justify the death penalty, including drug crimes, distribution of South Korean videos, and religious and superstitious activities."</p>.<p><em>Reuters</em> could not independently verify the South Korean government's findings but they were in line with U N investigations and reports from non-governmental organisations.</p>.<p>North Korea has rejected criticism of its rights conditions as part of a plot to overthrow its rulers.</p>.<p>The report gave details of rampant state-led rights abuses in communities, prison camps and elsewhere, including public executions, torture and arbitrary arrests.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/kim-wants-north-korea-to-make-more-nuclear-material-for-bombs-1204288.html" target="_blank">Kim wants North Korea to make more nuclear material for bombs </a></strong></p>.<p>Deaths and torture regularly occur in detention facilities and some people were summarily executed after being caught trying to cross the border, the ministry said.</p>.<p>The report came as South Korea seeks to highlight its isolated neighbour's failure to improve living conditions while racing to boost its nuclear and missile arsenals.</p>.<p>South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said the report should better inform the international community of the North's "gruesome" abuses, saying North Korea deserved "not a single penny" of economic aid while it pursues its nuclear ambitions.</p>.<p>The approach by the conservative Yoon is a distinct departure from that of his liberal predecessor, Moon Jae-in, who faced criticism for his less outspoken position on the North's rights as he sought to improve ties and build rapport with its leader, Kim Jong Un.</p>.<p>The Unification Ministry is required by law to make an annual assessment of the North's rights situation.</p>.<p>Nearly 34,000 North Koreans have settled in South Korea but the number of defectors has fallen sharply because of tighter border security.</p>.<p>North Korean arrivals hit an all-time low of just 63 in 2021, amid Covid-19 shutdowns, before edging up to 67 in 2022, ministry data showed. </p>
<p>North Korea executes people for drugs, sharing South Korean media, and religious activities as it stifles its citizens' human rights and freedom, its rival, South Korea, said in a report on Thursday.</p>.<p>South Korea's Unification Ministry, which handles inter-Korean affairs, based the 450-page report on testimony collected from 2017 to 2022 from more than 500 North Koreans who fled from their homeland.</p>.<p>"North Korean citizens' right to life appears to be greatly threatened," the ministry said in the report.</p>.<p>"Executions are widely carried out for acts that do not justify the death penalty, including drug crimes, distribution of South Korean videos, and religious and superstitious activities."</p>.<p><em>Reuters</em> could not independently verify the South Korean government's findings but they were in line with U N investigations and reports from non-governmental organisations.</p>.<p>North Korea has rejected criticism of its rights conditions as part of a plot to overthrow its rulers.</p>.<p>The report gave details of rampant state-led rights abuses in communities, prison camps and elsewhere, including public executions, torture and arbitrary arrests.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/kim-wants-north-korea-to-make-more-nuclear-material-for-bombs-1204288.html" target="_blank">Kim wants North Korea to make more nuclear material for bombs </a></strong></p>.<p>Deaths and torture regularly occur in detention facilities and some people were summarily executed after being caught trying to cross the border, the ministry said.</p>.<p>The report came as South Korea seeks to highlight its isolated neighbour's failure to improve living conditions while racing to boost its nuclear and missile arsenals.</p>.<p>South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said the report should better inform the international community of the North's "gruesome" abuses, saying North Korea deserved "not a single penny" of economic aid while it pursues its nuclear ambitions.</p>.<p>The approach by the conservative Yoon is a distinct departure from that of his liberal predecessor, Moon Jae-in, who faced criticism for his less outspoken position on the North's rights as he sought to improve ties and build rapport with its leader, Kim Jong Un.</p>.<p>The Unification Ministry is required by law to make an annual assessment of the North's rights situation.</p>.<p>Nearly 34,000 North Koreans have settled in South Korea but the number of defectors has fallen sharply because of tighter border security.</p>.<p>North Korean arrivals hit an all-time low of just 63 in 2021, amid Covid-19 shutdowns, before edging up to 67 in 2022, ministry data showed. </p>