South Korea has released a report on North Korea that cites a defector as saying that a North Korean resident was publicly executed for sharing South Korean movies and music.
South Korea’s Unification Ministry released the report on Thursday. It outlines human rights conditions in North Korea, based on testimonies obtained from more than 600 North Korean defectors.
One defector reportedly witnessed the public execution of a 22-year-old resident in South Hwanghae Province in southwestern North Korea in 2022. The punishment was purportedly based on a law adopted four years ago that calls for eradicating “the reactionary ideology and culture.”
The defector reportedly heard a person who appeared to be a judge say at the execution site that the resident had listened to 70 South Korean songs and three South Korean movies, and shared them with other people.
The report says other practices deemed “reactionary” include brides wearing white dresses and grooms carrying brides at weddings. Wearing sunglasses and drinking wine from a wine glass would also trigger a crackdown.
The report says North Korean authorities are stepping up ideological controls and are especially nervous about people being exposed to and influenced by South Korean dramas and other outside culture.