{"id":325254,"date":"2026-07-17T23:57:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T14:57:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/?p=325254"},"modified":"2026-07-19T12:42:16","modified_gmt":"2026-07-19T03:42:16","slug":"north-koreans-arrested-watching-k-drama","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/north-koreans-arrested-watching-k-drama\/","title":{"rendered":"Guilt over watching K-drama leads to arrest in Pyongsong"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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 popular among North Korean people, along with other videos the state brands as impure recordings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A source in South Pyongan province told Daily NK on Wednesday that the Ministry of Social Security arrested the two young men late last month. They had been watching a South Korean television series that has recently drawn intense interest among young North Koreans. They were also watching a number of other <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/chinese-war-films-shock-north-koreans-with-revelations-about-regimes-korean-war-propaganda\/\">banned recordings<\/a>, the source said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to the source, the two young men have been close friends since their school days. For several years, they secretly watched foreign videos together. In mid-June, they invited a third close friend to join them. They felt it was a shame to enjoy the material alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The three were watching a series known in North Korea as &#8220;The King&#8217;s Chef.&#8221; The title appears to be a North Korean nickname for &#8220;Bon Appetit, Your Majesty.&#8221; That <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Bon_App%C3%A9tit,_Your_Majesty\">South Korean drama<\/a> became a massive hit last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The show centers on lavish palace cuisine and a tender, dramatic romance between its two leads. It has reportedly gained a reputation among North Korean young people as impossible to stop watching once started. The trend has spread quickly. Some young people have taken to recreating the dishes shown in the drama or imitating the characters&#8217; polished speech.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-guilt-over-watching-k-drama-leads-to-arrest\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Guilt over watching K-drama leads to arrest<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The case began with the third young man, the one invited to the viewings. He was consumed by guilt and turned himself in to the Ministry of Social Security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He had learned that his two friends had long been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/ckgqdz17ye3o\">secretly watching videos smuggled<\/a> in from outside North Korea. He feared they would eventually be caught, and that he would be implicated along with them. He agonized for several days before going to the authorities, the source said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the Ministry of Social Security, the young man first confessed his own wrongdoing and asked for leniency. He then reported his two friends for non-socialist behavior, a catchall term North Korean authorities use for conduct they <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rfa.org\/english\/news\/korea\/squidgame-11232021180155.html\">consider a threat to socialist ideology<\/a>, including consuming foreign media. He agreed to help authorities raid the group&#8217;s next viewing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In late June, the three set a date to watch the videos together again. Security agents suddenly raided the gathering. They arrested the two friends. The young man who had reported them was released without further trouble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The two arrested young men are now undergoing intensive investigation, including a search of their homes, the source said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;The case is still under investigation,&#8221; the source said. &#8220;The families of the two arrested young men are living in fear that their entire families could be expelled from Pyongsong to a worse region because of the case.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/20260715-5\/\">Read in Korean<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n<!-- Daily NK \u2014 A Note to Readers \u2014 End of Article Pattern -->\n<div style=\"background:#1a1a1a;border-top:3px solid #cc0000;padding:0;margin-top:32px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;\">\n  <div style=\"padding:20px 24px 24px;\">\n\n    <!-- Header row -->\n    <div style=\"display:flex;align-items:center;gap:12px;margin-bottom:14px;\">\n      <span style=\"background:#cc0000;color:#fff;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:9px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.15em;text-transform:uppercase;padding:3px 8px;flex-shrink:0;\">A Note to Readers<\/span>\n      <div style=\"flex:1;height:1px;background:#333;\"><\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <!-- Intro line -->\n    <p style=\"font-family:Georgia,serif;font-size:15px;color:#fff;font-weight:normal;line-height:1.4;margin:0 0 12px;\">Reporting from inside North Korea<\/p>\n\n    <!-- Body -->\n    <p style=\"font-family:Georgia,serif;font-size:13px;color:#bbb;line-height:1.75;margin:0 0 16px;\">\n      Daily NK operates networks of sources inside North Korea who document events in real-time and transmit information through secure channels. Unlike reporting based on state media, satellite imagery, or defector accounts from years past, our journalism comes directly from people currently living under the regime. We verify reports through multiple independent sources and cross-reference details before publication.\n    <\/p>\n\n    <p style=\"font-family:Georgia,serif;font-size:13px;color:#bbb;line-height:1.75;margin:0 0 16px;\">\n      Our sources remain anonymous because contact with foreign media is treated as a capital offense in North Korea &mdash; discovery means imprisonment or execution. This network-based approach allows Daily NK to report on developments other outlets cannot access: market trends, policy implementation, public sentiment, and daily realities that never appear in official narratives.\n    <\/p>\n\n    <p style=\"font-family:Georgia,serif;font-size:13px;color:#bbb;line-height:1.75;margin:0 0 20px;\">\n      Maintaining these secure communication channels and protecting source identities requires specialized protocols and constant vigilance. Daily NK serves as a bridge between North Koreans and the outside world, documenting what&#8217;s happening inside one of the world&#8217;s most closed societies.\n    <\/p>\n\n    <!-- CTA row -->\n    <div style=\"border-top:1px solid #333;padding-top:16px;display:flex;align-items:center;gap:16px;flex-wrap:wrap;\">\n      <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/how-we-report\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\n         style=\"background:#cc0000;color:#fff;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.08em;text-transform:uppercase;padding:9px 16px;text-decoration:none;flex-shrink:0;\">How We Report<\/a>\n      <a href=\"https:\/\/mailchi.mp\/830d12539ead\/dnkweeklybriefing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\n         style=\"background:transparent;color:#cc0000;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.08em;text-transform:uppercase;padding:9px 0;text-decoration:none;border-bottom:1px solid #cc0000;flex-shrink:0;\">Subscribe to Our Weekly Briefing<\/a>\n    <\/div>\n\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- End Daily NK \u2014 A Note to Readers -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>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 popular among North Korean people, along with other videos the state brands as impure recordings. A source in South Pyongan province told Daily NK on Wednesday that the Ministry of Social [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":305,"featured_media":43588,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[67,1360],"tags":[928,1016,1098,1124,1430,1942,135,794],"class_list":["post-325254","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news","category-society","tag-television","tag-surveillance","tag-pyongsong","tag-crackdowns","tag-youth","tag-south-korean-culture","tag-propaganda","tag-south-pyongan-province"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.7 (Yoast SEO v28.8) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>N. Koreans arrested for watching K-drama | North Korea News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Guilt over watching K-drama drove a North Korean man to report two friends, leading to their arrest in Pyongsong and fears of family exile.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/north-koreans-arrested-watching-k-drama\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Guilt over watching K-drama leads to arrest in Pyongsong\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Guilt over watching K-drama drove a North Korean man to report two friends, leading to their arrest in Pyongsong and fears of family exile.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/north-koreans-arrested-watching-k-drama\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"North Korea News \u2014 Daily NK | Latest DPRK Updates 2026\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-17T14:57:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-07-19T03:42:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/01\/1280px-Pyongsong-Street-2014.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"960\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Park Hee-soo\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Park Hee-soo\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/north-koreans-arrested-watching-k-drama\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/north-koreans-arrested-watching-k-drama\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Park Hee-soo\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/537668f48a0859561bf9d59114e705db\"},\"headline\":\"Guilt over watching K-drama leads to arrest in Pyongsong\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-17T14:57:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-19T03:42:16+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/north-koreans-arrested-watching-k-drama\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":487,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/north-koreans-arrested-watching-k-drama\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2020\\\/01\\\/1280px-Pyongsong-Street-2014.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"television\",\"surveillance\",\"pyongsong\",\"crackdowns\",\"youth\",\"south korean culture\",\"propaganda\",\"south pyongan province\"],\"articleSection\":[\"News\",\"Society\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/north-koreans-arrested-watching-k-drama\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/north-koreans-arrested-watching-k-drama\\\/\",\"name\":\"N. Koreans arrested for watching K-drama | North Korea News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/north-koreans-arrested-watching-k-drama\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/north-koreans-arrested-watching-k-drama\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2020\\\/01\\\/1280px-Pyongsong-Street-2014.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-17T14:57:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-19T03:42:16+00:00\",\"description\":\"Guilt over watching K-drama drove a North Korean man to report two friends, leading to their arrest in Pyongsong and fears of family exile.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/north-koreans-arrested-watching-k-drama\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/north-koreans-arrested-watching-k-drama\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/north-koreans-arrested-watching-k-drama\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2020\\\/01\\\/1280px-Pyongsong-Street-2014.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2020\\\/01\\\/1280px-Pyongsong-Street-2014.jpg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":960,\"caption\":\"Pyongsong's city center. (Bj\u00f8rn Christian T\u00f8rrissen)\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/north-koreans-arrested-watching-k-drama\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Guilt over watching K-drama leads to arrest in Pyongsong\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/\",\"name\":\"North Korea News \u2014 Daily NK | Latest DPRK Updates 2026\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Daily NK English\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/top_logo@1x.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/top_logo@1x.png\",\"width\":272,\"height\":90,\"caption\":\"Daily NK English\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"description\":\"An independent online news organization based in Seoul, South Korea, reporting on internal North Korean affairs through a network of in-country sources and defector journalists. Part of the Unification Media Group (UMG) consortium.\",\"email\":\"dailynkenglish@uni-media.net\",\"telephone\":\"82-2-732-6998\",\"legalName\":\"DailyNK\",\"foundingDate\":\"2004-12-01\",\"numberOfEmployees\":{\"@type\":\"QuantitativeValue\",\"minValue\":\"1\",\"maxValue\":\"10\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/537668f48a0859561bf9d59114e705db\",\"name\":\"Park Hee-soo\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/9f4cf0f24b376077a2fcdab2e85c3584-150x150.webp\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/9f4cf0f24b376077a2fcdab2e85c3584-150x150.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/9f4cf0f24b376077a2fcdab2e85c3584-150x150.webp\",\"caption\":\"Park Hee-soo\"},\"description\":\"Park is one of Daily NK's freelance reporters, focusing on daily life and politics in the country. Questions about Park's articles can be directed to dailynkenglish(at)uni-media.net.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/author\\\/bakhuisu5\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"N. Koreans arrested for watching K-drama | North Korea News","description":"Guilt over watching K-drama drove a North Korean man to report two friends, leading to their arrest in Pyongsong and fears of family exile.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/north-koreans-arrested-watching-k-drama\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Guilt over watching K-drama leads to arrest in Pyongsong","og_description":"Guilt over watching K-drama drove a North Korean man to report two friends, leading to their arrest in Pyongsong and fears of family exile.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/north-koreans-arrested-watching-k-drama\/","og_site_name":"North Korea News \u2014 Daily NK | Latest DPRK Updates 2026","article_published_time":"2026-07-17T14:57:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-07-19T03:42:16+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1280,"height":960,"url":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/01\/1280px-Pyongsong-Street-2014.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Park Hee-soo","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Park Hee-soo","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/north-koreans-arrested-watching-k-drama\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/north-koreans-arrested-watching-k-drama\/"},"author":{"name":"Park Hee-soo","@id":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/#\/schema\/person\/537668f48a0859561bf9d59114e705db"},"headline":"Guilt over watching K-drama leads to arrest in Pyongsong","datePublished":"2026-07-17T14:57:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-07-19T03:42:16+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/north-koreans-arrested-watching-k-drama\/"},"wordCount":487,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/north-koreans-arrested-watching-k-drama\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/01\/1280px-Pyongsong-Street-2014.jpg","keywords":["television","surveillance","pyongsong","crackdowns","youth","south korean culture","propaganda","south pyongan province"],"articleSection":["News","Society"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/north-koreans-arrested-watching-k-drama\/","url":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/north-koreans-arrested-watching-k-drama\/","name":"N. Koreans arrested for watching K-drama | North Korea News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/north-koreans-arrested-watching-k-drama\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/north-koreans-arrested-watching-k-drama\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/01\/1280px-Pyongsong-Street-2014.jpg","datePublished":"2026-07-17T14:57:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-07-19T03:42:16+00:00","description":"Guilt over watching K-drama drove a North Korean man to report two friends, leading to their arrest in Pyongsong and fears of family exile.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/north-koreans-arrested-watching-k-drama\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/north-koreans-arrested-watching-k-drama\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/north-koreans-arrested-watching-k-drama\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/01\/1280px-Pyongsong-Street-2014.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/01\/1280px-Pyongsong-Street-2014.jpg","width":1280,"height":960,"caption":"Pyongsong's city center. (Bj\u00f8rn Christian T\u00f8rrissen)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/north-koreans-arrested-watching-k-drama\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Guilt over watching K-drama leads to arrest in Pyongsong"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/","name":"North Korea News \u2014 Daily NK | Latest DPRK Updates 2026","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/#organization","name":"Daily NK English","url":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/top_logo@1x.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/top_logo@1x.png","width":272,"height":90,"caption":"Daily NK English"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"description":"An independent online news organization based in Seoul, South Korea, reporting on internal North Korean affairs through a network of in-country sources and defector journalists. Part of the Unification Media Group (UMG) consortium.","email":"dailynkenglish@uni-media.net","telephone":"82-2-732-6998","legalName":"DailyNK","foundingDate":"2004-12-01","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","minValue":"1","maxValue":"10"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/#\/schema\/person\/537668f48a0859561bf9d59114e705db","name":"Park Hee-soo","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/9f4cf0f24b376077a2fcdab2e85c3584-150x150.webp","url":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/9f4cf0f24b376077a2fcdab2e85c3584-150x150.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/9f4cf0f24b376077a2fcdab2e85c3584-150x150.webp","caption":"Park Hee-soo"},"description":"Park is one of Daily NK's freelance reporters, focusing on daily life and politics in the country. Questions about Park's articles can be directed to dailynkenglish(at)uni-media.net.","url":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/author\/bakhuisu5\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/325254","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/305"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=325254"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/325254\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":325256,"href":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/325254\/revisions\/325256"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43588"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=325254"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=325254"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=325254"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}