NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth
Rare video from North Korea shows teens sentenced to hard labor for watching K-dramas
The footage, provided to NBC News by a research institute that works with defectors, comes as the number of people fleeing the reclusive state has tripled, according to South Korea.
Published January 20, 2024
A video from inside North Korea shows two teenagers being publicly sentenced to 12 years of hard labor for watching Korean TV dramas, a rare glimpse into Kim Jong Un’s reclusive state that comes as its neighbor reports a soaring number of defectors since 2021.
In this video, two 16-year-olds in gray jumpsuits are seen standing in front of hundreds of students in a stadium, with uniformed officers criticizing them for not “deeply reflecting on their mistakes.”
Videos or photos like this are rare for people outside North Korea, as residents are not allowed to leak any evidence of life to other countries. Travelers are also required to follow designated routes, and places where photography is allowed are severely restricted.
This video — first reported by the BBC — was obtained by NBC News from the South and North Development (SAND) Institute, a think tank that works with defectors. Choi Kyong-hui, CEO of the institute, believes that the video may have been edited in 2022. NBC was not able to verify this video or confirm the charges independently.
Choi, who defected from North Korea in 2001, believes that the video is being used to threaten North Koreans, “hoping it would stop them from sharing and watching K-drama and listening to K-pop.”
It is not uncommon for North Korea — the most isolated country in the world — to put residents behind bars for viewing or keeping anything related to South Korean culture.
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