A North Korean fishing boat captain was reportedly executed after he admitted that he listened to a banned radio station while at sea.

Radio Free Asia, funded by the US Government, claims the public execution of the mariner as he admitted he had been listening to its broadcasts for over 15 years.

The captain, aged in his 40s, had been picking up the foreign signals and frequently listening to its radio programs. He had been shot by a firing squad in front of 100 other fishery workers.