A 22-year-old man has been executed for streaming and listening to K-pop in North Korea, a musical trend typical of its southern neighbor that is Kim Jong-un’s number one enemy, according to a human rights report released by South Korean authorities.
In North Korea, a 22-year-old farm worker was led to the firing squad for streaming and listening to K-pop, according to the “2024 North Korea Human Rights Report,” released by his North Korean neighbor. south on Thursday June 27. This document is based on the testimonies of 649 North Korean refugees.
In detail, according to The Guardian
the worker was executed for listening to 70 songs, watching and sharing three South Korean music films with seven other people. However, under a 2020 law aimed at curbing “cultural invasion,” the penalty for those who introduce and share information and cultural elements from foreign countries can be up to 10 years of forced labor. Korea Times
specifies however that “Penalties are said to be harsher for those who watch and stream South Korean series, films and music”.
Thus, according to the testimony of a North Korean refugee, “A person can be sent to a prison camp just for watching a South Korean movie”. Furthermore, “The person who originally brought it will suffer the most severe punishment: he will be shot by firing squad.”.
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For good reason, K-pop, typical of South Korea, is enemy number one for the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un. The leader describes this musical style as “vicious cancer” corrupting the appearance and attitude of youth. It is also to limit its spread, via USB keys or leaflets from Seoul, that Kim Jong-un has on several occasions ordered the sending of balloons weighted with waste such as cigarette butts, toilet paper or animal excrement towards its southern neighbor.
Cell phones inspected
The report also points to other practices that the Pyongyang government considers “reactionary.” These include the wearing of white dresses and sunglasses by brides and grooms, and the drinking of alcohol from wine glasses at weddings—customs considered typically South Korean.
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Residents’ mobile phones are regularly inspected by authorities to check expressions, vocabulary and spelling of contact names used. In addition, it is presumed suspicious to use the word « appa » – “dad” in South Korean. The term of rigor in North Korea is more formal: it is « abeoji »which means “father.”
