A 22-year-old North Korean man was publicly executed to watch and share South Korean movies and musicclaims a new report, highlighting their desperate efforts Pyongyang “block” the entry of information and cultural “products” coming from abroad.
The case, detailed in the 2024 North Korea Human Rights Report published by South Korea’s Unification Ministry on Thursday, includes testimonies from 649 North Korean protesters.
“Reactionary Ideology and Culture”
A man from Hwanghae Province, South Korea, would have been publicly executed in 2022 for listening to 70 South Korean songs, watching three films and promoting them, being the victim of a North Korean law adopted in 2020 that prohibits “ reactionary ideology and culture.”
The report details extensive efforts by North Korean authorities to control the flow of information, particularly targeting young people.
They are considered South Korean customs
Other cases include punishments for “reactionary” practices, such as brides wearing white dresses, grooms carrying the bride, wearing sunglasses or drinking alcohol from wine glasses – all considered South Korean customs.
Cellphones are also frequently checked for the spelling of contact names, expressions and terms considered to have South Korean influence, the report states.
Although North and South Korea share the same language, they have emerged subtle differences after the division following the 1950-53 Korean War.
Your ban K-pop (short for popular music originating in South Korea and part of South Korean culture) is part of a campaign to protect North Koreans from the “evil” influence of Western culture that began under former leader Kim Jong-il and has spread intensified under Kim Jong -un’s son.
In 2022, US government-sponsored Radio Free Asia said the regime was cracking down on “capitalist” fashion and hairstyles, targeting skinny jeans and t-shirts with foreign words, as well as dyed or long hair, like it reported.
Threat to ideology
Experts say allowing South Korean popular culture to infiltrate North Korean society could pose a threat to the ideology that demands absolute loyalty to the “infallible” Kim dynasty, which has ruled the country since its founding in 1948.
Despite these harsh measures, the influence of South Korean culture, including recent television programs, seems unstoppable.
Guardian Source