North Korea Executions Surge During COVID-19 Pandemic for Watching K-Dramas
North Korea dramatically increased executions during the COVID-19 pandemic, including killing people for watching South Korean TV shows and K-pop content. The country used its closed borders to escalate killings when international scrutiny disappeared.
North Korea dramatically increased its use of the death penalty after closing its borders during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new report mapping 13 years of executions in the isolated country.
Some of the executions were for cultural offenses, including watching South Korean dramas and listening to K-pop music. The regime used its pandemic isolation to escalate killings when international oversight largely disappeared.
The report shows executions rose sharply for offenses including consuming South Korean cultural content. North Korea has long banned foreign media, especially entertainment from South Korea, viewing it as a threat to government control.
The country sealed its borders in early 2020 to prevent COVID-19, cutting off most contact with the outside world. This isolation allowed the government to increase repression without facing immediate international criticism or monitoring.
North Korea's Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un has consistently cracked down on foreign influence, particularly South Korean pop culture that has gained popularity among young North Koreans despite severe penalties.
This shows how dictatorships use global crises to crack down on their people without outside interference. It reveals the extreme lengths North Korea goes to control what citizens watch and think.
Watch for more reports on North Korea's human rights record as the country slowly reopens its borders.
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