A husband and wife trying to flee North Korea with their 14-year-old nephew, have been executed by firing squad.
The couple, in their 50s, were trying to escape to the south with the boy, to reunite him with is father who had already made the fateful crossing.
The pair were not given a trial, and were sent before the firing squad.
The boy escaped the same punishment as he was a minor, although it is unclear what happened to him.
An anonymous source, from the same region of Ryanggang, where the pair were from, told the Radio Free Asia: “They were arrested for attempting to escape [across] the border, which is now heavily controlled due to the national emergency quarantine against the coronavirus.
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“The boy’s father, who escaped to South Korea, had asked his sister to bring his son to him.
“It was a couple in their 50s and a 14-year-old student.
"The boy is the son of the wife’s younger brother, who had previously escaped to the South.
"They were caught by border guards as they were trying to escape together."
The source claimed: “The couple were tortured by the provincial security department into confessing that they tried to escape with their nephew after being contacted by her brother in South Korea."
He added that due to border security being tightened due to the country’s quarantine measures, the attempted escape was an “extremely dangerous and risky act.”
He said: “The supreme leadership has ordered that those who attempt to flee the country during the emergency period must be sternly punished.
"There’s no way they could have avoided the firing squad because they attempted to defect to South Korea."
Another source, who also wanted to remain anonymous for his own safety, added the harsh manner in which they were immediately executed has angered the public.
He said: “They were only trying to escape with their young nephew to find a way to live.
"They were shot dead before they were even able to take a single step into the Yalu river.
“As people hear this shocking news, they are expressing their anger at the authorities, saying there’s nothing wrong with trying to escape from North Korea, especially when it is so hard to make ends meet due to the coronavirus crisis.”
Rumours have been circulating about the North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un's health after he reportedly underwent heart surgery earlier this year.
Speculation reached a fever pitch after he missed the birth anniversary celebrations of state founder Kim Il-sung on April 15.
One report even suggested he was in a "vegetative state" following the operation.
Some have suggested Kim was absent for a period of post-plastic surgery rehab.
