North Korea is the only country in the world where you can't watch the Netflix drama 'Squid Game'.
[Free Asia Broadcasting (11.15): These days, people in Pyongyang (money, powerful) are obsessed with the South Korean drama 'Squid Game'.
I am
secretly watching under a blanket at night using Nottel (portable video equipment) the size of a study room.] Is
the 'squid game' really popular even in North Korea?
[Kim Young-soo/Professor of Political Science and International Relations at Sogang University: The (North Korean) interest in the 'squid game' is confirmed to be true, but the news about the 'squid game' comes in in the market saying it is popular, and even if the data comes in, those who have the courage to watch it There aren't that many.] In
North Korea, you have to risk your life to watch South Korean dramas.
In December of last year, the North Korean government enacted the “Reactionary Ideology and Culture Rejection Act,” which states that watching South Korean videos is punishable by up to 15 years in prison and distributing videos in South Korea is punishable by death.
In fact, there has been a case of public execution this year for watching South Korean dramas and entertainment programs.
[Mr. A/North Korean defector: Because censorship comes from time to time while watching, the crackdown team that cracks down on Korean dramas has the authority to break in without a warrant for no reason. So whenever I go down the street, in severe cases, I just stop and censor my phone.]
In particular, content with violent or sexually suggestive scenes, such as 'Squid Game', may be subject to watchful attention.
However, no matter how you control it, the person who sees it somehow sees it,
[Mr. A / North Korean defector: When there are no acquaintances at home, seriously, when there are no parents, you have to watch it under a blanket. Really.]
How to secretly distribute South Korean content is imaginable. transcends.
[Kim Young-soo / Professor, Department of Political Science and Diplomacy, Sogang University: (Recently) I see a lot of SD cards.
So, in order not to get caught in the crackdown, SD cards are popular in the nostrils, where people put two or three cards in their nostrils and take them out of their noses if they need them.]
North Korean media said, "The 'Squid Game' shows the terrible face of South Korea's capitalist society." However, North Koreans said that their situation was similar to that of a participant in the 'squid game' and rather sympathized.
▶ The situation in North Korea watching Korean dramas by hiding the SD card in the nostrils