Tag: south korean culture
North Korea cracks down on youths using South Korean-style word for...
Authorities in Chongjin, North Hamgyong province, summoned three young people to a provincial youth league office this month over their use of the South...
Wealthy North Korean youth hide old players to dodge crackdowns
Young North Koreans from wealthy families are deliberately buying old, worn-out video players instead of newer models. They can easily afford better devices. Instead,...
Guilt over watching K-drama leads to arrest in Pyongsong
North Korean authorities arrested two young men in Pyongsong, South Pyongan province, in 2026. Their crime was watching K-drama, the South Korean dramas widely...
Children of top Pyongyang scientists detained for reading banned novels
Three teenage children of some of North Korea's most privileged scientists were arrested in Pyongyang in 2026 after being caught secretly reading banned South...
North Korea quietly softens foreign content penalties for officials’ families
North Korea secretly issued a seven-point directive on May 28, 2026, setting out revised enforcement guidelines for cases involving the consumption of foreign media...
North Korea publicly executes two graduates over South Korean videos
North Korea publicly executed two young men in Haeju, South Hwanghae province, in late May 2026 after arresting them for distributing banned videos, including...
North Korea opts for re-education over prison for South Korean content...
Four young North Koreans caught watching a South Korean romance drama were subjected to a public criticism session rather than criminal prosecution, a response...
North Korea’s wealthy keep using South Korean rice cookers despite crackdowns
Despite intensifying crackdowns on South Korean goods, North Korea's wealthy elite continue to use Cuckoo brand electric rice cookers, treating the South Korean appliances...
Bag inspections and struggle sessions fail to stop Pyongyang students from...
South Korea's unique custom of couples and friends exchanging pairs of stick-shaped snacks on Nov. 11 has arrived in Pyongyang. Aware of this, the...
Breaking the mold: How North Korean youth resist authoritarian restrictions
North Korea enacted the Youth Education Guarantee Act during the Fifth Meeting of the 14th Supreme People's Assembly in September 2021. The law aimed...
