The North Korean law which imposes severe penalties …

North Korea recently established a law that orders to punish severely to those who are caught watching foreign series or films, as well as those who use clothes or even slang from other countries. With this rule, Kim Jong-Un intends to fight against what his regime calls “reactionary thinking”. “In other words, the regime concluded that the introduction of crops from other countries could create a feeling of resistance,” said the editor of the Daily NK, the first newspaper to take hold of a copy of the law.

The rule, Lee Sang Yong, editor of the Daily NK – online publication in Seoul with sources in North Korea – told the BBC: “that if a worker is caught (consuming this type of foreign products), the factory boss can be punished, and if a child is problematic, the parents can also be punished“.

“The system of mutual surveillance encouraged by the North Korean regime is aggressively reflected in this law, ”said Lee Sang Yong. Violators, the reporter said, can face hefty fines, imprisonment and possibly death, depending on the severity of the crime.

The intention of this new standard, he said, is “destroy” any dreams or fascination the younger generation might have for South Korea. In a country without the Internet, without social networks and only a few state-controlled television channels, Kim Jong-Un’s regime believes that “if cultures from other countries are introduced, a feeling of resistance could be created”, said the editor. .

There are analysts who believe he is trying to prevent outside information from reaching the North Korean population at a time when life in the country is becoming increasingly difficult, with severe famines.

Choi Jong-hoon, one of the few defectors who managed to leave the country last year, told the BBC that “the harder the times, the more stringent the regulations become, laws and punishments. “” Psychologically, when you have a full stomach and you watch a South Korean movie, maybe it is for fun. But when there is no food and living is a struggle, people get angry, “he added.

According to international media, the persecution is not focused exclusively on audiovisual products. Recently, Kim Jong-Un wrote a letter to state media calling on the country’s Youth League to crack down on “unpleasant, individualistic and anti-socialist behavior” among young people. His intention, with this letter, would be to put an end to the foreign speeches, hairstyles and clothing that he describes as “dangerous poisons”.

Three teens were recently sent to rehab camp for cutting their hair like K-pop idols and wearing pants above the ankles, according to information released by the Daily NK.

Smuggling

This new law aims to increase the penalties and sanctions that have already existed for years concerning the consumption of foreign audiovisual products. Yoon Mi-so, who left North Korea for Seoul some time ago, said he was 11 when he first saw the execution of a man who was caught with a South Korean film. His entire neighborhood was forced to witness the execution. “If you didn’t, it was considered a betrayal,” he told the BBC. “They put him on a stake, tied him up and then shot him,” he recalls.

Despite the various persecution and punishment measures, British media said, North Koreans have managed to continue to watch foreign films and series that bring great value. smuggling from the border with China. For several years, the series have been shared through USB flash drives they are now as “common as rocks,” said Choi, who was also able to move away from North Korea. They are easy to hide and are also password protected: “If you type the wrong password three times in a row, the USB deletes its contents.” You can even configure it to happen after you enter the password incorrectly if the content is very sensitive ”, specifies.

“There are also many cases where the USB is configured to be displayed only once on a given computer, so you cannot connect to another device or give it to someone else. Only you can see it. So even if you would have wanted to broadcast it, you could not have done it, ”he added.

Kim Geum-hyok was just 16 in 2009 when he was captured by guards from a special unit created to track down and arrest anyone who shared illegal videos. He had given DVDs of South Korean pop music that his father had smuggled from China to a friend. He told the BBC that the guards took him to a secret room for questioning, beat him and did not let him sleep for four days.

“I thought my world was coming to an end. They wanted to know how I got this video and how many people showed it to them. I couldn’t tell my dad brought these DVDs from China. What could I say? “It was my dad. I didn’t say anything, I just said, ‘I don’t know, I don’t know. Please let me go,'” she said. As the young man came from an elite family, his father was able to bribe the guards to free him.

Many of those arrested for similar crimes were sent to labor camps. “At first, the sentence was about a year in a labor camp. This has grown to over three years. Right now, if you go to a labor camp, more than 50% of the young people are there because they have seen foreign media. . “Choi said. “If someone watches two hours of illegal material, it would be three years in a labor camp. It’s a big problem, ”he lamented.