North Korea punishes teenagers for watching TV drama

New footage from North Korea shows teenage girls being publicly shamed and arrested for watching banned South Korean dramas, further highlighting the regime’s extreme media control. The video, obtained by South Korea’s KBS Media, captures a group of young girls, including a 16-year-old student, confessing to consuming what the regime labels “impure” media. The girls were subjected to public scolding before being led away in handcuffs.

North Korea, under Kim Jong Un, has tightened its grip on media, forbidding foreign films, music, and television to maintain ideological control.

The consequences for violating these laws can be severe, ranging from public humiliation to imprisonment and, in extreme cases, execution.

This harsh punishment is part of North Korea’s broader efforts to prevent the infiltration of South Korean culture, which it views as a threat to its control over its population.

Despite these crackdowns, South Korean media continues to seep into the country.

Activists from South Korea use creative methods, such as smuggling USB drives and launching balloons, to send content like K-dramas and music into North Korea. These efforts are often done at great risk, and aim to ensure that North Koreans have access to outside information, despite the regime’s efforts to suppress it.