North Korean teenagers ‘executed for watching Squid Game’ as regime wages war on TV and pop music
Schoolchildren ‘executed in North Korea for enjoying K-Pop and Squid Game’
- North Korea is reportedly executing schoolchildren for watching South Korean dramas, including Netflix's Squid Game, and listening to K-Pop, according to new testimony shared with Amnesty International.
- The testimony, gathered from 25 in-depth interviews with North Korean escapees, highlights severe and humiliating punishments, with death penalties for the most extreme cases.
- The 2020 Anti-Reactionary Thought and Culture Act outlaws the consumption of South Korean content, mandating five to 15 years of forced labour or the death penalty for distributing 'large amounts' or organising group viewings.
- Witnesses described public executions used as 'ideological education' to deter others, with one escapee recalling being taken to executions at 16 or 17.
- The report also reveals a system where wealthy families can bribe officials to avoid harsh penalties, while those without money or connections face the most severe consequences.
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