Video resurfaces of North Korean girls publicly humiliated for watching K-dramas

Recently resurfaced footage shows young North Korean girls openly punished and shamed for watching K-dramas.

Resurfaced footage has revealed the severe punishment faced by North Korean girls for watching K-dramas. 

The video, obtained by South Korean production company KBS Media, shows a public shaming session in a large auditorium where young North Koreans, including a 16-year-old girl identified as Choi, are berated for their "crimes" in front of military officials. Choi is seen breaking down in tears as she confesses to distributing foreign media before being led away in handcuffs.

North Korea tightly controls information within its borders, prohibiting access to foreign music, films, and TV shows. Violations of these restrictions result in severe consequences, ranging from public humiliation to imprisonment and, in extreme cases, execution. The Kim Jong Un regime views South Korean media as a threat to its ideological control and has intensified its crackdown on such content in recent years.

The footage is part of over 10 recordings obtained by KBS, mostly produced after May 2021. The harsh penalties are part of North Korea’s "evil laws," enacted in 2020 to combat external cultural influences, particularly from South Korea. These laws target not only foreign media but also South Korean slang.

Despite the risks, South Korean media continues to infiltrate North Korea through activists who send USB drives filled with content using balloons. Testimonies from defectors have highlighted public executions of young adults for consuming South Korean dramas and music.