North Korea: Students Sentenced to Death and Forced Labor for Watching 'Squid Game'

Amnesty International has disclosed alarming cases in North Korea, where several school students were either executed or sent to forced labor camps for watching South Korean television shows or listening to pop music, including the Netflix series "Squid Game."
This information is based on 25 in-depth interviews conducted in 2025 with North Korean defectors who fled the country between 2012 and 2020, most of whom were aged 15 to 25 at the time of their escape.

Severe Punishments and Public Practices

Survivors explained that students faced public executions or were sent to labor camps in provinces such as Yanggang and North Hamgyong due to the display or distribution of prohibited content.
The organization confirmed that these actions are part of an intensified repressive campaign under leader Kim Jong-un, who enacted the Anti-Reactionary Thought Law in 2020, criminalizing any South Korean content as "corrupt ideology that threatens the revolutionary spirit of the people."

The Law and Penalties

The law imposes forced labor sentences ranging from 5 to 15 years for merely watching or possessing Korean films, series, or music, while the death penalty can be applied for distributing content or organizing mass screenings.
Furthermore, a family's financial situation plays a crucial role; wealthier families may receive mere warnings, while poorer families face harsher penalties.

Survivor Testimonies

Choi Soobin, 39, who fled the country in 2019, stated: "People sell their homes to gather thousands of dollars to pay for their escape from rehabilitation camps."
Kim Jong-sik, 28, noted that he avoided punishment due to his family's influence, while friends of his sister were sent to labor camps for years due to their inability to pay bribes.

Cultural and Humanitarian Repression

These practices underscore the extent of cultural and intellectual repression in North Korea and their significant impact on the lives of youth and society under strict media control and limitations on freedom of expression.