North Korean authorities in South Pyongan Province have recently conducted crackdowns against people suspected of viewing or disseminating video content made outside of the country, Daily NK has learned.
A source from South Pyongan Province told Daily NK on June 2 that “The Ministry of Education [Ministry of Science and Education] carried out the crackdowns at the end of last month at Pyongsong Normal University [PNU] and Pyongsong Teachers College [PTC]. The authorities took issue with foreign videos from unknown sources that had been used by some professors in their classrooms.”
In principle, all educational content and teaching materials used in classes at North Korean universities must be approved by the Ministry of Science and Education. The videos in question had received prior approval, but the source stated they became a problem due to a lack of clarity about their source and because the “content of the videos did not not match their titles.”
The source told Daily NK that professors from the School of Biology, School of Physical Education and School of Music at PNU who had used foreign videos in their classrooms are currently under investigation by the ministry. Professors at PTC who used such materials received from PNU professors are also under scrutiny.
PROVINCE-WIDE CRACKDOWNS
Daily NK’s source said that security officials also conducted crackdowns to prevent the dissemination of illegal videos at organizations, businesses and schools within the province last month.
“Security officials in the province established temporary units to investigate mobile phone users at schools and other organizations,” the source said. “This was aimed at preventing the dissemination of illegal videos.”
According to the source, the immediate reason behind this recent crackdown was a video claiming North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had passed away that spread rapidly throughout North Korea in late April.
In late April, Daily NK published a report quoting a source from North Pyongan Province who stated that a fake video edited to resemble an official North Korean media report had been circulating in areas near the Sino-North Korean border.
Although North Korean authorities did their utmost to ensure the video did not circulate any further, it appears to have rapidly spread to inland regions such as South Pyongan Province.
“In the latest crackdown, people who had South Korean dramas and other foreign video content on their mobile phones had their devices confiscated and were subject to interrogation,” the source told Daily NK.
“More than 20 students at Kim Jong Suk No. 1 Middle School [a science-focused school for gifted students] also had their phones confiscated for possessing problematic videos or songs,” he added.
While no one has been punished so far in the latest crackdown, the source noted people were fearful that punishments would be far more serious than in the past.
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