It is said that Korean dramas and K-pop are very popular among the MZ generation in North Korea.



In response, General Secretary Kim Jong-un also said that 'the human remodeling project of young people is necessary'. Why did North Korea set out to catch the MZ generation?



[A/North Korean defector: 'The Legend of the Blue Sea' and 'The Heirs' (same) Korean dramas mainly deal with love issues, right? (That's) It was fun and I saw it a lot. (Song) Red Velvet's 'Red Flavor' (I heard a lot) (Have you ever sang along?) No. (Isn't it?) Yes, that's right... .]



Still, there are ways to avoid the eyes of crackdowns and surveillance.



[Mr B/North Korean defector: When a Chinese person downloads and brings (in)) close friends, 'I have a movie like this', 'I have something like this', exchanging (USB) and saving it on a laptop (In this way) it keeps spinning.]



Recently, young people in their 20s were caught watching Korean dramas until late in the evening, and it is said that there was also a drama 'Penthouse' in the confiscated USB and SD cards.



Also, soldiers in their 20s were taken away while dancing BTS.



Regarding the MZ generation, which has emerged as a troublesome problem in North Korea, Kim Jong-un emphasized that "a serious change is taking place in the ideological and mental state of the young generation.



K-pop is also called 'malignant cancer' that leads North Korean youth in the wrong direction. Then, why is the MZ generation the target of intensive management in North Korea, a controlled society?



[Lee Woo-young/Professor, University of North Korea Graduate School: (in North Korea) cell phones are being distributed very widely, and the infrastructure that allows new cultures to enter has become much wider. In particular, the younger generation is more sensitive to new cultures, so it has to have a bit of a ripple effect.]



North Korea's MZ generation was born in the 1990s or spent adolescence during the worst famine.



At the time, there were not enough government rations, so they often went to illegal markets to make money.



[Lee Woo-young/Professor, University of North Korea Graduate School: Because I grew up in a market environment after the fundamental socialist distribution system collapsed, my commitment to the system is fundamentally weak. In that respect, it seems clear to see these young generations as potential threats to North Korea's existing system.]



North Korea seems to be making every move of the MZ generation to protect the existing system.



▶ [Video] Penthouse · North Korean MZ generation who are obsessed with BTS