North Koreans caught watching South Korean television shows or listening to K-pop are being subjected to brutal punishments, including public executions, according to a new report by Amnesty International.
The human rights organisation says authorities in Pyongyang are intensifying a crackdown on what they label “reactionary” foreign media, with popular content such as Squid Game and music by global stars like BTS now treated as serious crimes. The report warns that even minors are not spared, with children facing harsh discipline for exposure to banned material.
Testimonies gathered from North Koreans who have escaped the country indicate that schoolchildren are sometimes forced to watch executions as a deterrent. Amnesty says this tactic is used to instil fear and reinforce loyalty to the regime from an early age.
While families with money or strong political ties are sometimes able to bribe officials to escape the most severe penalties, poorer citizens reportedly bear the brunt of the repression. Amnesty says this has created a system where punishment is applied unevenly, deepening social inequality.
Sarah Brooks, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director, described the situation as deeply repressive, saying: “Watching a South Korean TV show can cost you your life, unless you can afford to pay.”
She added that the system effectively criminalises access to information while allowing corruption to flourish: “The authorities criminalise access to information in violation of international law, then allow officials to profit off those fearing punishment. This is repression layered with corruption, and it most devastates those without wealth or connections.”
Despite the dangers, South Korean entertainment continues to circulate secretly within North Korea. Amnesty says dramas such as Crash Landing on You, which is partially set in the North, remain widely viewed through underground networks.
The report cites multiple interviews claiming that individuals caught watching Squid Game or listening to K-pop have been executed. One widely reported case dates back to 2021, when a student who smuggled Squid Game into the country from China was sentenced to death by firing squad.
Radio Free Asia previously reported that the student had sold copies of the series to classmates. According to that account, one buyer was sentenced to life imprisonment, while others were sent to hard labour camps for several years.
Analysts say the themes explored in Squid Game—economic desperation, inequality and survival under harsh rules—resonate strongly with many North Koreans living under the leadership of Kim Jong Un.
The crackdown is enforced under the “Law on the Elimination of Reactionary Thought and Culture,” enacted in 2020. The legislation targets foreign books, films and music, with South Korean content treated as especially dangerous.
Amnesty warns that the law has transformed North Korea into what it describes as an “ideological cage,” where accessing outside information is treated as a capital offense rather than a fundamental human right.
