North Korea Executes Teens for Consuming South Korean Media, Amnesty International Reports
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korean authorities have reportedly executed teenagers for watching the popular South Korean television series Squid Game and listening to K-pop music, according to a report released by Amnesty International in early February 2026. The human rights organization cited testimony from a recent escapee with family ties in Yanggang Province, revealing a brutal crackdown on the consumption of South Korean media within the reclusive state.
The escapee detailed how schoolchildren and teenagers caught watching the survival drama or listening to South Korean pop music faced execution, forced labor, and public humiliation. Amnesty International’s findings paint a grim picture of widespread human rights abuses linked to the regime’s efforts to suppress foreign influence and maintain ideological control.
Kim Joonsik, 28, who fled North Korea in 2019, recounted multiple instances of punishment for watching South Korean dramas. “Usually when high school students are caught, if their family has money, they just get warnings,” Kim said. However, those without political connections or financial resources often face severe consequences, including forced labor sentences or worse.
These revelations come amid ongoing concerns about the regime’s use of extreme measures to control information and cultural consumption. The United Nations and various human rights organizations have long condemned North Korea’s systematic abuses, including public executions and forced labor camps. The Amnesty International report adds to mounting evidence of the regime’s harsh crackdown on any perceived dissent or cultural infiltration.
The North Korean government views South Korean media as a threat to its ideological purity and regime stability. Despite the risks, South Korean dramas and K-pop have permeated the country through smuggled USB drives and clandestine broadcasts. The regime’s response has been brutal, aiming to deter consumption through terror.
Human rights advocates emphasize that these punishments violate international law and underscore the urgent need for increased global attention. The U.S. Department of State’s 2025 Human Rights Report on North Korea highlights similar abuses, including arbitrary detention, public executions, and forced labor camps.
Efforts to document these abuses rely heavily on testimonies from defectors and escapees, as independent verification within North Korea is nearly impossible. The United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the DPRK has repeatedly called for accountability and international pressure to end these violations.
The report also underscores the role of corruption in the enforcement of these brutal policies. Those with money or connections may avoid the harshest punishments, while the most vulnerable face execution or forced labor. This disparity exacerbates the suffering of ordinary citizens under the regime’s authoritarian grip.
As the international community continues to grapple with North Korea’s human rights crisis, the documented executions of teenagers for cultural consumption serve as a stark reminder of the regime’s ruthless control. Advocates urge sustained diplomatic and humanitarian efforts to protect vulnerable populations and promote freedom of expression within the isolated nation.
For more information on human rights conditions and international responses, visit the Human Rights Watch North Korea page and the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor.
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