A married couple was executed by a firing squad in North Korea after they were caught trying to flee the country with a 14-year-old, who turned out to be their nephew.

The husband and wife, who live in the Ryanggang province of North Korea, which is near China, were caught trying to escape the country earlier this month despite the lockdown restrictions of the country.

The couple, who are believed to be in their 50s, were trying to bring their teen nephew back to his parents in South Korea.

A resident of Ryanggang, who has requested to stay anonymous, said:

The boy’s father, who escaped to South Korea, had asked his sister to bring his son to him.

But the source said that border security in the country has been tightened up due to the quarantine measures.

As of now, making or trying to escape the country is a very risky and dangerous act.

The couple was tortured into confessing their escape plans and executed by a firing squad, while their nephew was spread due to his age.

The source 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 resident of Ryanggang, North Korea, confirmed that the story has been spreading by word of mouth around the region.

Another source said:

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.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of the couple. May your souls rest in peace.