North Korea publicly executed 22-year-old man for listening to K-pop

North Korea has publicly executed a 22-year-old man for listening to and sharing K-pop as part of Pyongyang’s ruthless crackdown on outside information and culture, according to South Korea.

Details of the case were released in the 2024 Report on North Korean Human Rights by South Korea’s unification ministry on Thursday, which included testimonies from 649 North Korean defectors.

According to one of the testimonies from an unnamed source, the young man from South Hwanghae province was publicly executed in 2022 for listening to 70 South Korean songs, watching three films, and distributing them.

The country’s ban on K-pop was implemented under the former leader, Kim Jong-il to shield citizens from the “malign influence” of Western culture and its allies.

It was further tightened under Jong-il’s son, Kim Jong-un, who adopted a new law for the North in 2020, which prohibits “reactionary ideology and culture”.

The North has rejected criticisms of the government’s grave violation of human rights, calling it a part of a conspiracy to overthrow the leadership.

The report also detailed extensive efforts by North Korean authorities to control outside information flow, with a specific focus on youths.

According to the US government-funded Radio Free Asia, the regime was cracking down on “capitalist” fashion and hairstyles, targeting skinny jeans and T-shirts bearing foreign words, as well as dyed or long hair. 

Other instances of harsh measures include punishments for “reactionary” practices such as brides wearing white dresses, grooms carrying the bride, wearing sunglasses, or drinking alcohol from wine glasses — all considered South Korean customs.

Mobile phones are also frequently inspected for contact name spellings, expressions, and slang terms perceived to be of South Korean influence, the report claims.