North Koreans Are Being Executed For Watching K-Pop, Rights Group Claims
Published
| Last updated
A rights group has claimed that a number of North Koreans have been executed after being caught watching K-Pop videos and other entertainment from South Korea.
Entertainment from South Korea has been made illegal by Kim Jong-un, with the possession or distribution of films or music such as K-Pop punishable by death.
The Transitional Justice Working Group claims that, as a result of the ban, at least seven executions have been ordered by Jong-un.
A major trading hub and distribution centre for such entertainment is the city of Hyesan, where the group claims that six out of seven of the executions took place, The New York Times reports.
Soliders reportedly gathered a crowd to watch three officers shoot the law-breakers, with six of the executions occurring between 2012 and 2014. Soldiers also allegedly forced family members of those being shot to watch.
Jong-un stated that the country would ‘crumble like a damp wall’ if K-Pop was allowed to influence society, The Hill reports.
The Transitional Justice Working Group say at least 23 public executions have taken place under Jong-un’s leadership, after a group of 683 defected North Koreans were interviewed after they travelled to South Korea.
‘Our findings suggest that the Kim Jong-un regime is paying more attention to human rights issues as a response to increased international scrutiny over the gravity of the situation in North Korea. This does not mean the human rights situation in North Korea is improving; state-led killings continue to take place in ways that may not be as visible to the public as they did in the past. What we need to pay closer attention to is non-public killings, such as secret or ‘indoor’ killings,’ the study’s lead author, Ahyeong Park, said.
Alongside banning K-Pop, Jong-un also prohibited any citizen from copying his style; while robots are being pushed to help with educational reform.
If you have a story you want to tell, send it to UNILAD via [email protected]
Topics: News, K-pop, Kim Jong-un, North Korea, Now, South Korea
Credits
The Hill and 2 othersThe Hill
The New York Times
North Korea Executes People for Watching K-Pop, Rights Group Says
The Transitional Justice Working Group
