North Korea Executes Citizens Over Watching Squid Game and Listening to K-Pop – Amnesty Report
People in North Korea — including schoolchildren — are reportedly facing execution for watching foreign television programmes such as Squid Game and listening to South Korean K-pop, according to testimonies released by Amnesty International.
The human rights organisation said it interviewed 25 North Korean defectors, whose accounts reveal that consuming or distributing South Korean dramas and music is treated as a serious offence under the regime of Kim Jong-un.
According to these testimonies, watching programmes like Squid Game or sharing South Korean entertainment content has allegedly resulted in public executions across several provinces. Some defectors claimed that students were among those executed, while others received lengthy sentences in labour or “re-education” camps.
Witnesses further stated that punishment often depends on social status, wealth, and connections. Poorer citizens reportedly face the harshest consequences, while some wealthy families are said to bribe officials to escape prosecution.
Under North Korea’s 2020 Anti-Reactionary Thought and Culture Act, South Korean media is officially labelled as “rotten ideology.” Individuals caught consuming such content may face up to 15 years of forced labour, while those accused of distributing it risk the death penalty.
