Once again, North Korea is under scrutiny for punishing those who consume South Korean pop culture, music, and entertainment. The latest footage from the South and North Development (SAND) Institute showed how two 16-year-olds in Pyongyang were convicted solely because they watched South Korean movies and music videos. The purported video shows that the two teens are publicly sentenced to 12 years of hard labour, simply for watching K-pop.
Notably, to prevent any potential erosion of the regime’s influence, the government enforces strict measures against those who engage with South Korean culture. North Korea is infamous for tightly controlling the flow of information within its borders and access to foreign media, including South Korean films and dramas.
It is often reported that by punishing those who follow South Korean culture, the government seeks to maintain a monopoly on information and shape the worldview of its citizens.
“Judging from the heavy punishment, it seems that this is to be shown to people across North Korea to warn them. If so, it appears this lifestyle of South Korean culture is prevalent in North Korean society,” President of SAND and Doctor of Political Science at Tokyo University Choi Kyong-hui reportedly said. Kyong-hui, who is now raising alarm on the situation, herself defected from North Korea in 2001.
“I think this video was edited around 2022… What is troublesome for (North Korean leader) Kim Jong Un is that Millennials and Gen Z young people have changed their way of thinking. I think he’s working on turning it back to the North Korean way,” he added.
What did the video have?
The video depicted a public trial where two students were seen in grey scrubs. They were handcuffed. Meanwhile, the trial was been observed by nearly 1,000 students in an amphitheater. All individuals, including the two 16-year-olds who were punished with hard labour, are seen wearing face masks.
Because of the use of masks, it is believed that the recording likely took place when the world was hit by COVID pandemic.
(With inputs from agencies)
