PYONGYANG: North Korea executed a 22-year-old man from South Hwanghae province in 2022 for listening to and distributing K-pop music and films, according to a report by South Korea’s unification ministry. The man was accused of consuming 70 South Korean songs and three films, actions that the North Korean government considers a severe violation under its 2020 law against “reactionary ideology and culture.”
The report is based on testimonies from 649 North Korean defectors and highlights the regime’s strict crackdown on Western cultural influences. North Korea’s measures include routine mobile phone inspections and severe punishments for engaging in South Korean customs and media consumption.
One defector, a woman in her early 20s, noted the rapid influence of South Korean culture in the North, saying, “Young people follow and copy South Korean culture, and they really love anything South Korean.” She added that exposure to South Korean media makes many young North Koreans question their way of life and prefer death over living under Kim Jong-un’s regime. This sentiment was echoed in testimonies published by The Guardian.
Human Rights Watch’s 2023 world report criticized North Korea for its systematic denial of basic liberties, including freedom of expression and belief. The report states, “The government does not tolerate pluralism, bans independent media, civil society organizations, and trade unions.”
Historically, North Korea has conducted public executions in villages and prison camps, but it has recently shifted away from holding them in heavily populated areas and near borders, where they can be easily monitored by satellites.
Tensions between North and South Korea have escalated, with the South threatening to restart anti-Pyongyang broadcasts following North Korea’s trash-carrying balloon launches across the border. The two Koreas remain technically at war since the 1950-1953 Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty.
