North Korea has reportedly started executing citizens for watching or distributing foreign films and TV shows, a new United Nations (UN) report reveals.

According to the report, some individuals have been publicly executed for consuming or sharing foreign media, including popular South Korean dramas.

The UN says these executions are intended to instill fear and deter the population from accessing outside information.

The findings are based on interviews with over 300 witnesses and defectors who fled North Korea, all of whom reported tighter restrictions on personal freedoms.

This development follows the landmark 2014 UN report, which found that North Korea had committed crimes against humanity.

The latest report also notes that new laws criminalize access to unauthorized foreign media and strictly forbid its consumption or dissemination.