Two teens were publicly sentenced to 12 years of hard labour by North Korean officials for enjoying K-pop, according to video footage made public by an NGO that assists North Korean defectors.
The South and North Development (SAND) Institute released the video, which features the two 16-year-old Pyongyang youths found guilty of watching South Korean films and music videos.
Reuters was unable to independently confirm the video, which the BBC had originally reported.
Since the implementation of a comprehensive new "anti-reactionary thought" law in 2020, North Korea has been enforcing harsh sentences for years on anyone found to be enjoying South Korean entertainment or mimicking South Korean speech in an effort to combat outside influences.
"Judging from the heavy punishment, it seems that this is to be shown to people across North Korea to warn them. If so, it appears this lifestyle of South Korean culture is prevalent in North Korean society," said Choi Kyong-hui, president of SAND and Doctor of Political Science at Tokyo University, who defected from North Korea in 2001.
"I think this video was edited around 2022... What is troublesome for (North Korean leader) Kim Jong Un is that Millennials and Gen Z young people have changed their way of thinking. I think he's working on turning it back to the North Korean way."
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