North Korean defector: ”Watching a South Korean TV series is like being shot in public” - South Korean media

"Public executions and the strengthening of power have been increasing in North Korea under the rule of General Secretary Kim Jong Eun," defectors said. "In recent years, public executions have been increasing in North Korea.
There was also testimony that "the punishment will increase and there is a possibility that you will be executed for watching Korean TV series or K-pop." On the 9th, the Japanese weekly magazine "Daily Shincho" reported through interviews with two North Korean defectors that
Kim Il-hyuk (35), a former member of the North Korean defector group from Byeokseong County, South Hwanghae Province, reported the following incident that he witnessed in July 2022:
He vividly described the cruelty of the punishment. Kim said, "There were two criminals. One was accused of watching 70 Korean songs and three TV series and distributing them to others. The other was accused of committing murder nine years ago.
He was arrested for the crime. Children are also required to attend executions for educational purposes. At the time, there were only about 1,000 spectators at the execution site, fewer than usual due to bad weather.
"Public executions have increased dramatically since 2020," Kim said. "Previously, they were carried out about once a year, but since 2020, they are often carried out about twice every three months."
" He also testified that "executions of the powerful and wealthy were particularly brutal," and that "some people had their heads and bodies blown off by stray bullets."
One of the reasons behind the increase in public executions is the "Act on the Expulsion of Reactionary Ideology and Culture," which was enacted in December 2020.
Viewing or distributing Korean content is considered a violation of the law, and violations can lead to public execution. Kim said, "To varying degrees, North Koreans in their 20s and 30s who have been exposed to South Korean culture are
"I've loved K-pop like Girls' Generation since I was young, and before I defected, I even watched the spy action TV series IRIS, in which North Korean leaders are assassinated," he said.
He continued, "When you see the affluent lifestyles depicted in foreign films, you start to think, 'I want to be rich,'" and added, "If the number of young people like that increases, the system will be affected."
"What Kim is probably afraid of is not being able to maintain that position," he speculated.