North Korea Executes Top Military Colonel in Front of Troops for Stealing Grain, Leaving Soldiers ‘Deeply Shaken’

A senior North Korean military officer was reportedly executed in front of his own troops after allegedly embezzling grain from the country’s state reserves. The execution left the officers who witnessed it “deeply shaken,” a Daily NK source in South Pyongan province said. “Their faces turned pale. They left without making eye contact with each other,” the source added.

Earlier in July, the senior colonel was arrested by police from a coastal guard unit based in Nampo over multiple allegations that he had stolen large quantities of the military’s reserve grain. “He was executed by firing squad on July 12 in front of members of his unit,” the source said.

No Mercy at All

Authorities accused him of secretly stealing several dozen tons of grain from a warehouse under his command. He allegedly tried to transport the grain by vehicle to Nampo port, but officials guarding the warehouse reportedly spotted the operation and alerted authorities.

The senior colonel was arrested and taken to the Military Security Bureau for questioning. He was later tried by a court-martial and given the maximum punishment — execution — after being found guilty of stealing reserve grain during the country’s ongoing food crisis.

Following the execution at a firing range near Nampo, the ruling party’s central leadership and the military’s General Political Bureau reportedly issued stern warnings, vowing to crack down on corruption within the armed forces.

According to Daily NK, the execution has heightened fears among senior military officials.

The source said security has since been tightened around the Nampo port area, where an inspection team is closely monitoring every vessel entering and leaving the port, along with all cargo being loaded.

The increased security has also made daily life more difficult for nearby residents, with stricter inspections disrupting the routine transport of goods such as construction materials and seafood.

Living in Fear

More than 45 percent of North Korea’s population — around 11.8 million people — is undernourished, according to United Nations findings released in March 2025. “The government has shifted from accommodating informal markets to establishing a state-monopoly selling of staple food,” Elizabeth Salmón, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in North Korea, wrote.

“Under the strict border shutdowns since early 2020, many cannot afford food, yet the government’s public distribution system is discriminatory and irregular.

“Only those loyal to the leadership receive regular public distribution.”

Previous reports have also detailed what they describe as the seemingly minor offenses that have led Kim Jong Un’s regime to order executions in North Korea.

Citizens in the dictatorship country have reportedly been executed for offenses as minor as listening to pop music or even falling asleep in the presence of Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un.

In another reported case, a farm manager was executed after all of the baby terrapins at a state-run breeding facility died. Sources said he was shot shortly after Kim criticized officials during a visit.

Some of the most disturbing accounts describe prisoners being killed in secret “indoor executions” using blunt weapons, while others were executed by firing squad.

Among the most widely reported cases was the execution of North Korea’s former Defense Minister, Hyon Yong-chol. He was put to death in 2015 for allegedly showing disloyalty, according to South Korea’s intelligence agency.

Lawmakers were told he was executed with anti-aircraft fire in front of hundreds of people after reportedly falling asleep during an event attended by Kim and failing to carry out orders.