North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
A 22-year-old man was publicly executed for listening to and sharing K-pop music in a stark and chilling reminder of North Korea's draconian policies, a South Korean report on their neighbour’s human rights said.
The 2024 Report on North Korean Human Rights was released by South Korea’s unification ministry on Thursday.
The young man from South Hwanghae province was killed in 2022 for consuming 70 South Korean songs and watching three films, which he then distributed.
Mobile phone inspections are another tool in the regime’s arsenal, used to root out South Korean influence.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
A 22-year-old man was publicly executed for listening to and sharing K-pop music in a stark and chilling reminder of North Korea's draconian policies, a South Korean report on their neighbour’s human rights said. The 2024 Report on North Korean Human Rights was released by South Korea’s unification ministry on Thursday.
The young man from South Hwanghae province was killed in 2022 for consuming 70 South Korean songs and watching three films, which he then distributed.
Story continues below Advertisement Remove Ad
The roots of North Korea's ban on K-pop trace back to Kim Jong Il, who sought to shield citizens from what he deemed the “malign influence” of Western culture. This stance hardened under his son, Kim Jong Un, who in 2020 enacted a law prohibiting “reactionary ideology and culture.”
The unification ministry’s report draws on testimonies from 649 North Korean defectors, providing a comprehensive view of the regime’s oppressive measures. One anonymous source detailed the harrowing circumstances leading to the young man's execution.
North Korean authorities, according to the report, are intensely focused on controlling youth behaviour and eliminating any traces of foreign influence. This includes a crackdown on “capitalist” fashion and hairstyles, targeting items like skinny jeans, T-shirts with foreign slogans, and dyed or long hair.
The US government-funded Radio Free Asia corroborates these findings, noting that the regime has also banned South Korean wedding customs such as brides wearing white dresses and grooms carrying the bride. Even seemingly benign practices like wearing sunglasses or drinking from wine glasses are deemed reactionary and are punishable offenses.
Mobile phone inspections are another tool in the regime’s arsenal, used to root out South Korean influence. Phones are checked for contact names, expressions, and slang that might indicate foreign interaction.
Despite international condemnation, North Korea dismisses criticisms of its human rights record as conspiracies aimed at destabilising the regime. This stance remains unchanged even as new, harrowing details of its oppressive practices come to light.
