10,000 North Korean Students Reportedly Gave Themselves Up To Authorities For Watching South Korean Dramas and Movies
This comes after the North Korean government imposed a law that bans citizens from enjoying South Korean entertainment late last year.
Last December, the North Korean government imposed an “anti-reactionary thought” law that inflicts strict fines and prison sentences on anyone in the country caught enjoying South Korean entertainment or copying the way South Koreans speak.
According to reports, as of April 28, over 10,000 North Korean students have surrendered themselves to authorities for consuming K-dramas and movies and listening to K-pop. It's unclear what shows they were watching but we assume the immensely popular Crash Landing On You, about a South Korean heiress who paraglides into North Korea and falls in love with a dashing army officer there, is one of it?
5,000 DVD players were also reportedly handed over to the government in return for a lighter sentence.
The “anti-reactionary thought” law is said to be Kim Jong Un’s call to raise the standard of homegrown (and state-controlled) media and also part of his war on outside influences.
The dictator reportedly hates the using of terms like “oppa” and “dong-saeng”, which means 'big brother' and 'younger sister or brother' respectively, to refer to non-relatives like how those in South Korea have a habit of doing.
Measures for those who break the law include a 15-year sentence in forced labour camps and fines for parents whose child violates the ban.
Anyone caught importing banned material from South Korea faces life imprisonment, while those who import the same items from the United States or Japan could face death.
Photos: tvn