North Korea has reportedly executed young people, including schoolchildren, for watching South Korean television shows such as the Netflix series Squid Game, according to accounts from human rights groups and defectors who have fled the country.
The allegations point to an intensified crackdown on foreign media, as the regime seeks to block outside cultural influence and tighten ideological control over the population. Watching or sharing South Korean dramas, films or music is considered a serious crime under North Korean law.
Defectors describe a climate of fear in which even brief exposure to foreign entertainment can lead to harsh punishment. Those accused of watching banned content are said to face penalties ranging from long prison sentences and forced labour to execution in the most severe cases.
The reported executions are linked to North Korea’s 2020 law against what the state calls “reactionary thought and culture”. The legislation bans South Korean media and labels it as harmful to socialist values. Under the law, watching or possessing such material can result in years of hard labour, while distributing it or organising group viewings can carry the death penalty.
Several former residents say punishments are often carried out in public. These events are intended to warn others and reinforce loyalty to the state. Some defectors said they were forced to attend executions as teenagers as part of what authorities described as political education.
One former resident said that young people were singled out because of fears that foreign culture could weaken loyalty to the ruling Kim dynasty. South Korean dramas are seen as especially dangerous because they portray a lifestyle that contrasts sharply with life in the North.
The accounts also suggest that punishment is not applied equally. Poorer families and those without connections are said to face harsher treatment, while people with money or influence may be able to reduce sentences through bribes. This has fuelled resentment and fear among ordinary citizens.
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