In a chilling revelation, North Korean officials have reportedly executed teenagers for the perceived crime of watching the South Korean television phenomenon “Squid Game” and for listening to K-pop. This unsettling information came to light in early February, as shared by human rights researchers.

According to Amnesty International, testimonies from an escapee with familial ties in Yanggang Province reveal a grim reality. The escapee recounted that among those executed were schoolchildren, targeted specifically for viewing the popular survival drama series.

The organization has further documented incidents where individuals were subjected to forced labor and public shaming for consuming South Korean media, particularly affecting those who lack financial resources or political leverage.

Kim Joonsik, a 28-year-old who managed to flee North Korea in 2019, shared his experiences. “Typically, when high school students are caught, families with financial means can often mitigate the consequences with mere warnings,” he explained. Kim himself was apprehended on three occasions for watching South Korean dramas but evaded formal punishment due to his family’s connections.

In an evocative image, a leaflet containing a U.S. dollar bill and USB drives filled with K-pop music is shown. This photograph was taken during an interview with North Korean defector Park Sang-hak in Seoul, South Korea, dated June 25, 2024.

Kim’s account underscores the harsh reality faced by those in North Korea who dare to engage with South Korean cultural content, painting a stark picture of the regime’s draconian measures to control information and cultural influence.

Joonsik said three of his sisters’ high school friends were given multi-year labor camp sentences in the late 2010s after being caught watching South Korean dramas, a punishment he said reflected their families’ inability to pay bribes.

“The authorities criminalize 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,” said Sarah Brooks, Amnesty International’s deputy regional director.

Members of the North Korean Military Choir sing a Russian song during a concert following Russian–North Korean talks in Pyongyang, North Korea, on June 19, 2024. (Contributor/Getty Images)

“This government’s fear of information has effectively placed the entire population in an ideological cage, suffocating their access to the views and thoughts of other human beings,” she added. “People who strive to learn more about the world outside North Korea, or seek simple entertainment from overseas, face the harshest of punishments.”

Fans of Korean pop music attend the KCON convention in Newark, New Jersey, on June 23, 2018. (Stephanie Keith/Getty Images)

Several defectors told the human rights organization that they were required to witness public executions while still in school, describing the practice as a form of state-mandated indoctrination designed to deter exposure to foreign culture.

“When we were 16, 17, in middle school, they took us to executions and showed us everything,” said Kim Eunju, 40. “People were executed for watching or distributing South Korean media. It’s ideological education: if you watch, this happens to you too.”