Amnesty International reports that North Koreans, including schoolchildren, are being executed for watching South Korean shows such as Squid Game and listening to K-pop. The findings come from 25 in-depth interviews with escapees, 11 of whom fled the country between 2009 and 2020, mostly aged 15 to 25 at the time.

One interviewee cited executions of high school students in Yanggang Province for watching Squid Game. Another execution for distributing the show was documented in North Hamgyong Province in 2021, suggesting multiple cases tied to South Korean media. Escapees also noted the dangers of listening to foreign music, including BTS, with investigations reported in South Pyongan Province.

The 2020 Anti-Reactionary Thought and Culture Act criminalized the consumption of South Korean content, prescribing five to 15 years of forced labor for watching or possessing media, and the death penalty for distributing large amounts or organizing group viewings.

Escapees described executions as a tool of ideological education. Kim Eunju recalled being shown public executions as a teenager to warn students against watching or sharing South Korean content. Choi Suvin, who fled in 2019, remembered a 2017–2018 execution in Sinuiju attended by tens of thousands, designed to “brainwash and educate” the population.

The accounts also highlight financial disparities: some North Koreans pay thousands of dollars or sell homes to avoid harsh punishments, while those without money face full penalties.