In a shocking revelation, South Korea has reported that North Korea publicly executed a 22-year-old man for the crime of listening to and sharing K-pop music and films. This incident, which took place in 2022, underscores the extreme measures Pyongyang is willing to take to prevent the infiltration of foreign culture, particularly from South Korea.
The young man, hailing from South Hwanghae province, was accused of listening to 70 South Korean songs, watching three South Korean films, and distributing this prohibited media. His execution was made public, serving as a grim warning to others who might be tempted to engage in similar activities.
This information comes from the North Korean Human Rights report, released by South Korea’s unification ministry. The report is a compilation of testimonies from 649 North Korean defectors and paints a harrowing picture of the lengths to which the North Korean regime will go to maintain its ideological purity.
North Korea’s crackdown on foreign media is not new. In 2020, the country adopted a law banning “reactionary ideology and culture,” which includes South Korean entertainment. This law is part of a broader effort to shield North Korean citizens from what the regime considers the malign influence of Western culture.
The North Korean government has consistently denied accusations of human rights violations, dismissing them as part of a conspiracy to undermine its leadership. However, the testimonies in the report suggest a different reality. North Koreans are subjected to routine inspections of their mobile phones for contact name spellings, expressions, and slang terms that might indicate South Korean influence.
The report also highlights other “reactionary” practices that are punished in North Korea. These include South Korean customs such as brides wearing white dresses, grooms carrying the bride, wearing sunglasses, and drinking alcohol from wine glasses. The regime’s intolerance extends to banning independent media, civil society organizations, and trade unions, systematically denying basic liberties such as freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, association, and freedom of religion and belief.
One defector, a woman in her early 20s, described the rapid influence of South Korean culture on North Korean youth. “The speed of South Korean culture influencing North Korea is seriously fast. Young people follow and copy South Korean culture, and they really love anything South Korean,” she said. She added that after watching South Korean dramas, many young people question their way of life in North Korea, with some even contemplating death over living under the regime.
Public executions in North Korea have historically been held in villages and prison camps where crowds could gather. However, the regime has increasingly avoided executions in heavily populated residential areas, where it is difficult to monitor those attending. Executions near borders and at facilities that can be easily monitored by satellites have also been reduced.
Despite these harsh measures, South Korean culture continues to seep into North Korea. The influence of South Korean television shows and music appears unstoppable, according to defectors. Even with the border to China largely sealed off after the outbreak of COVID-19, information still finds its way into North Korea through informal networks.
In recent weeks, North Korea has retaliated against South Korean activists who launch balloons carrying anti-Pyongyang leaflets, dollar bills, and USB sticks loaded with K-pop and K-dramas. The North has sent thousands of balloons over the border containing waste, in a tit-for-tat exchange that underscores the ongoing tension between the two Koreas.
The two Koreas remain technically at war, as the Korean War ended in 1953 with an armistice, not a peace treaty. The South has threatened to restart anti-Pyongyang frontline propaganda broadcasts in response to the North’s balloon launches, further escalating the Cold War-style campaigns between the rivals.
The execution of the 22-year-old man for consuming and sharing South Korean media is a stark reminder of the brutal reality faced by North Koreans under Kim Jong-un’s regime. It also highlights the regime’s fear of losing control over its citizens, as the allure of South Korean culture continues to grow.
The international community has long criticized North Korea for its human rights abuses, but the regime remains defiant. As South Korean culture continues to influence North Korean youth, the regime’s efforts to maintain its ideological purity may become increasingly desperate and brutal.
Source: The Guardian, Human Rights Watch, Radio Free Asia
