North Korea executed 22-year-old for watching K-Pop, report claims

North Koreans are also subjected to extensive routine mobile phone inspections for contact name spellings and slang terms. Credit: AP

North Korea has publicly executed a 22-year old citizen for listening and sharing South Korean music and films, a new report claims.

The case, detailed in the 2024 Report on North Korean Human Rights released by South Korea’s unification ministry on Thursday, compiles testimonies from 649 North Korean defectors.

The report highlights Pyongyang's desperate attempts to crackdown on South Korean influence and outside information and culture.

The North has rejected criticisms of the government's violation of human rights, calling it a part of a conspiracy to overthrow the leadership.

The man from the South Hwanghae province was publicly executed in 2022 for listening to 70 South Korean songs and watching three films and distributing them, according to an unnamed defector's testimony.

This went against the North Korean law adopted in 2020 that bans "reactionary ideology and culture".

Other examples of "reactionary" practices include perceived South Korean customs such as brides wearing white dresses, sunglasses, and drinking alcohol from a wine glass.

North Koreans are also subjected to routine mobile phone inspections for contact name spellings, expressions and slang terms.

Kim Jong Un has been supreme leader of North Korea since 2011 Credit: AP.

Experts say that allowing South Korean popular culture to seep into North Korean society could pose a threat to the ideology that demands absolute loyalty to the “infallible” Kim dynasty that has ruled the country since it was founded in 1948.

Despite such harsh measures, the influence of South Korean culture, including recent television shows, appears unstoppable, according to a recent North Korean defector.

In recent weeks, North Korea has sent thousands of balloons over the border containing waste, with this week being the sixth time.

It is in retaliations against the launch of balloons from the South whose cargo includes anti-Pyongyang leaflets, dollar bills, and USB sticks loaded with K-pop and K-dramas.

South Korea threatened to restart anti-Pyongyang frontline propaganda broadcasts this week in the latest bout of Cold War-style campaigns between the rivals

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...