In early September, two 15-year-old North Korean boys have been despatched to a political jail camp for listening to Okay-pop, in response to a supply in Jagang province not too long ago.
The boys, classmates and mates, have been unremarkable college students with no notable tutorial or social data. Their troubles started once they allowed just a few classmates to hearken to South Korean songs on their MP3 gamers.
Their arrest got here after a classmate reported them to state safety brokers. Investigators found dozens of South Korean songs on the boys’ units.
The punishment was significantly extreme as a result of the boys had not solely listened to music from the “puppet state” – North Korea’s derogatory time period for South Korea – however had additionally shared it with others.
Till not too long ago, North Koreans typically consumed South Korean media on cell telephones. Nonetheless, elevated monitoring has led to a pointy decline on this follow.
Because of this, MP3 gamers have gained reputation. These units are simpler to hide or discard throughout searches, in response to sources.
Per week after the boys’ detention, their households vanished, casting a shadow over the group.
Day by day NK understands that each units of fogeys have been despatched to focus camps – successfully a life sentence – for failing to correctly elevate their youngsters. Even the boys’ siblings have been imprisoned beneath guilt by affiliation.
The incident has shocked neighbors.
“This case has Jagang province buzzing,” a supply stated. “It’s uncommon for younger college students to be despatched to jail only for consuming Okay-pop.
“Many view sending complete households to camps over some South Korean songs as excessive. Some speculate that the regime is making an instance of those households to instill concern in Jagang province, given its focus of munitions factories and navy amenities, and to defend the inhabitants from capitalist influences,” the supply added.
The North Korean regime has not too long ago enacted a number of legal guidelines geared toward strengthening ideological loyalty among the many youthful technology. These embody the DPRK Regulation of Rejecting Reactionary Ideology and Tradition in 2020, the Youth Schooling Assure Regulation in 2021, and the Pyongyang Cultural Language Safety Act in 2023.
The Day by day NK works with a community of sources in North Korea, China, and elsewhere. For safety causes, their identities stay nameless.
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