N. Koreans executed for sharing K-pop, films: Seoul

Kim Jong-un regime banned white wedding dresses, sunglasses, drinking alcohol from wine glasses, defectors say

A North Korean soldier is seen aiming a rifle to publicly execute individuals in a video provided by the Unification Ministry to promote the 2024 North Korean Human Rights Report released on Thursday. (Screengrab from video)

Testimonies from North Korean defectors have revealed that the Kim Jong-un regime has conducted public executions of individuals caught distributing South Korean TV series, movies or K-pop music under a 2020 law, South Korea's Unification Ministry said Thursday.

According to the 2024 North Korean Human Rights Report released by the ministry in Seoul, testimonies suggested an "increase in public executions based on violations of the Law on Rejecting Reactionary Ideology and Culture." The law prohibits accessing, possessing or distributing external information from "hostile countries," including South Korea, and stipulates that violations could result in the death penalty.

One anonymous defector described witnessing the public execution of a 22-year-old farm worker at a mine in South Hwanghae Province in 2022.

“A person, believed to be a judge from the court, recited, 'they were arrested for listening to 70 songs and three movies from the puppet scoundrels (South Korea).' It was revealed during the interrogation process that he had distributed them to seven others,” the report said, citing a defector's testimony.

"People who first brought in the material receive the harshest punishment, which is invariably execution by firing squad. The punishment for those who distribute it varies depending on the extent of their involvement," the defector said.

The report released on Thursday is the second public report since 2023, detailing human rights abuses and violations in North Korea. The report is based on the testimonies of 649 North Korean defectors who had fled their homeland by 2023, according to the ministry.

The report represents the first time the South Korean government has publicly confirmed that the Kim Jong-un regime carried out public executions under the 2020 law.

The defector underscored, "There have been many public executions recently under the law," adding that they heard that those who violated the law as well as those involved in "serious crimes such as murder" were publicly executed at the same time in 2023.

Another unnamed defector mentioned that they stopped watching outside content for fear of punishment after the law was enacted in 2020, adding that they witnessed North Korean people being punished for being caught.

"Since Kim Jong-un came to power, it seems that he sweeps away anything he doesn't like," the defector said, adding he thought that the law was "unreasonable."

The third unnamed defector stated that he was instructed to write down the clauses of the law and post them on their door. The defector added that the content specified the maximum penalty for watching or distributing South Korean video content is "execution by firing squad."

In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, people wave to the motorcade carrying North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin during a welcoming ceremony at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang on June 19. (Pool Photo via AFP)

The Unification Ministry also said testimonies indicated that North Korea reinforced clampdowns on youth, citing the Youth Education Guarantee Act of 2021 and the Pyongyang Cultural Language Protection Act of 2023.

In essence, North Korea has strictly prohibited any cultural influences originating from South Korea.

A fourth anonymous defector recalled watching a lecture video while in North Korea, saying: "The narrator in the video mentioned that a groom carrying a bride at weddings was a 'puppet style' (South Korean style), and that women wearing multiple accessories like earrings and bracelets, brides wearing white dresses, wearing sunglasses and drinking alcohol from wine glasses were all considered 'reactionary.'"

The first defector testified that from 2021 to 2023, people were randomly stopped and searched on the streets.

"The primary targets were young people. If their appearance or attire was considered 'unfaithful' or 'distinctive' by North Korean standards, they were subjected to body searches," the defector said.

Other testimonies also revealed that North Korean inspectors scrutinized the contact lists on people's mobile phones to ensure names are saved in the North Korean way, such as "Father," rather than the South Korean style, like "Daddy."

A fifth unnamed defector also reported that parents were required in 2020 to sign a pledge stating, "I will ensure that my children do not watch impure video content at home."

"Authorities claim that the enforcement is to prevent residents' ideologies from deteriorating, but the real reason for the crackdown is to prevent residents from becoming aware of the outside world, which could create difficulties for them" the defector testified.

By Ji Da-gyum(dagyumji@heraldcorp.com)