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North Korea publicly executes 22-year-old man for listening and sharing K-pop music
North Korean authorities executed a 22-year-old youth for indulging in K-pop music and sharing it, according to a report. Know more details inside.
Trigger Warning: The following article mentions death and execution.
A 22-year-old man was publicly executed by North Korean authorities in 2022 for listening to K-pop music, watching films, and sharing them. The news came to light after 2 years through a detailed report made on North Korean Human Rights which was released by South Korea’s unification ministry that also includes depositions from 649 defectors from North Korea.
North Korea publicly executed a youth for indulging in K-pop
According to the report by The Guardian, the 22-year-old man who was executed was found in violation of North Korean law passed in 2020 which bans ‘reactionary ideology and culture’ as informed by a defector. The man is said to be from South Hwanghae province and was publicly executed for listening to 70 South Korean songs (K-pop songs), watching 3 movies, and distributing this media.
This ban on South Korean pop culture was applied by the former leader Kim Jong Il and has been intensified by his son and the current leader of North Korea, Kim Jong Un. It is said that they deem this South Korean pop culture as a bad and corrupting influence on North Koreans.
According to the report, extensive measures have been taken by the authorities of North Korea to control the flow of information from outside the border with a special focus on the youth.
In other cases, punishments have been given for ‘reactionary’ practices like brides wearing white dresses and grooms carrying the bride, wearing sunglasses, or using wine glasses to drink alcohol which are mostly seen in South Korean culture.
Political experts have claimed that the seeming threat posed by raging South Korean culture is because it challenges the absolute loyalty ideology spread by the Kim clan which has been ruling the country since 1948.
What else have North Korean defectors revealed?
North Korean defectors, according to the report, were quoted saying that the young people in the country wonder why they are being forced to live like this after watching K-dramas.
While noting the rising influences of K-pop and South Korean culture, another young North Korean defector said that the influence is major and young people are following and copying South Korean culture faster than one might think.
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