North Korea subjected about 20 people to a public trial in Sariwon, North Hwanghae Province, for watching or distributing “impure recorded materials,” Daily NK has learned.
According to a Daily NK source in North Korea on Tuesday, the accused were stood before a public trial at a sports stadium in Sariwon on Aug. 13 for watching, listening to, distributing or selling South Korean films, TV programs and music.
The 20 or so individuals included two students from Sariwon University of Technology, five students from Kye Ung Sang Sariwon University of Agriculture, and four students from Ri Kye Sun Sariwon University of Education, as well as two high school students.
The public trial lasted for two hours from 10 AM to noon, and was attended by students from Sariwon’s universities and high schools, the source said.
The trial’s chairperson first explained that law enforcement had caught the accused watching “illegal and decadent” South Korean dramas and music downloaded onto their notebook computers and mobile phones, despite orders from the ruling party calling for an intensive struggle against “anti-socialist and non-socialist behavior.”
The trial turned the spotlight on two Sariwon University of Technology students in particular, criticizing how they had copied hundreds of “impure recordings” to USBs and SD cards for distribution and sale, despite the fact they already been caught and punished before.
According to the trial proceedings, investigators found that the Sariwon University of Technology students had illegally copied South Korean films, TV programs, music videos and the like to USBs and SD cards for two years, ostensibly to pay for school. They allegedly got teenagers to distribute and sell the contraband at Taesong Market, Kuchon Market and other major markets in Sariwon.
In the end, the Sariwon University of Technology students were sentenced to 15 years of forced labor for distributing and selling “impure recordings” in accordance with North Korea’s law to eradicate “reactionary thought and culture.” The others were sentenced to seven to 10 years of forced labor for consuming the South Korean material.
North Korea enacted the law to eradicate “reactionary thought and culture” in December of 2020. The law calls for punishments of five to 15 years of forced labor for those caught watching, listening to or storing South Korean films, recordings, compilations, books, songs, drawings or photographs, as well as those caught importing or distributing songs, drawings, photographs or designs that reflect South Korean culture.
The source said the trial ended with threats; namely that young people who are caught forming organizations and groups to watch or distribute “impure recordings” would be subject to criminal punishments “from which they would never recover.”
The source said with the government issuing constant orders warning officials that they must continue the struggle against anti-socialist and non-socialist behavior, the authorities are likely to step up their efforts to crack down and criticize products of “outside culture” such as South Korean films or music.
“Unified Command 82 [the unified command on non-socialist and anti-socialist behavior] launched an intensive inspection of educational institutions in Sariwon from last week,” he added.
Please direct any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
