North Korea has just executed 30 teenagers for watching South Korean K-dramas, shocking reports reveal.
According to South Korean broadcasters Chosun TV and Korea JoongAng Daily, these teens were publicly executed after being caught with the dramas, believed to be smuggled in on USB sticks.
In North Korea, the media landscape is tightly controlled, and any content from South Korea is strictly off-limits.
An official from South Korea’s Unification Ministry explained to Korea JoongAng Daily, “It is widely known that North Korean authorities strictly control and harshly punish residents based on the three so-called ‘evil’ laws.”
Under the leadership of Kim Jong-un, North Korea maintains a tight grip on the cultural inputs allowed within its borders.
The regime is particularly hostile to South Korean influences, from TV shows to language and even accents.
This cultural firewall even extends to language, with the use of South Korean dialects potentially indicating forbidden media consumption.
The Reactionary Ideology and Culture Rejection Act is one such policy, making it illegal to share any media from South Korea, Japan, or the USA.
While these reports remain unconfirmed, experts like Greg Scarlatoiu from the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, find them credible, especially given the increased crackdowns under the guise of COVID restrictions, he told Business Insider.
South Korea’s Ministry of Unification noted in a 2024 report that the North has ramped up its efforts to curb any foreign influences.
The report highlights absurd regulations like banning ‘South Korean-style language’ and even white wedding dresses, labeling them ‘reactionary.’
A defector told the Korea Herald about the strict measures against ‘impure video content,’ mentioning that in 2020, parents were urged to shield their children from such influences.
The consequences for distributing banned content are severe, as evidenced by various reports, including a man from Kangwon Province executed by firing squad, as noted in a 2022 UN Secretary-General Report.
A report from the South Korean Unification Ministry in 2024 detailed the tragic fate of a 22-year-old man from South Hwanghae Province after he was caught with 70 South Korean songs and three movies.
Post-Soviet Union, North Korea has grown increasingly isolated, a stark contrast to its early days post-1948 split when it enjoyed Soviet support.