North Korea Executes Schoolchildren for Watching Squid Game, Amnesty International Reports
According to new and deeply disturbing testimonies gathered by Amnesty International, North Korea is executing schoolchildren for watching popular television shows, including Netflix's global hit Squid Game. The human rights organisation conducted in-depth interviews with citizens who fled the Kim Jong-un regime, revealing a brutal crackdown on access to foreign media.
Extreme Punishments for Media Consumption
Amnesty International's investigation details how individuals, including minors, face the death penalty for consuming South Korean entertainment. This includes not only Squid Game but also other widely watched dramas such as Crash Landing on You and Descendants of the Sun. Listening to K-pop music is similarly met with severe repercussions, according to the testimonies.
The organisation states that these punishments are part of a systematic effort to control information and enforce ideological purity. Public executions, forced labour camps, and brutal public humiliation are reportedly common outcomes for those caught engaging with South Korean media.
Corruption and Inequality in Enforcement
A particularly alarming aspect of these reports is the role of corruption. Amnesty International highlights that less affluent citizens suffer the most, as they are unable to bribe corrupt officials to avoid prosecution. This creates a two-tier system where wealth and connections can mean the difference between life and death.
"The authorities criminalise access to information in violation of international law, then allow officials to profit off those fearing punishment," said Sarah Brooks, Amnesty International's Deputy Regional Director. "This is repression layered with corruption, and it most devastates those without wealth or connections."
First-Hand Accounts from Escapees
The testimonies are based on 25 detailed interviews with North Koreans who escaped the country between 2009 and 2020. One escapee, Kim Eunju, now 40, recounted being forced to witness executions as a teenager. "When we were 16 and 17, in middle school, they took us to executions and showed us everything," she said. "People were executed for watching or distributing South Korean media. It's ideological education: if you watch, this happens to you too."
Global Context and International Condemnation
Squid Game, a series that critiques economic inequality through a deadly competition, has become a global phenomenon. Its popularity underscores the stark contrast between international entertainment norms and North Korea's draconian laws. Amnesty International condemns these practices as violations of fundamental human rights and international law.
"This government's fear of information has effectively placed the entire population in an ideological cage, suffocating their access to the views and thoughts of other human beings," Brooks added. "People who strive to learn more about the world outside North Korea, or seek simple entertainment from overseas, face the harshest of punishments."
Since 2020, escapes from North Korea have become exceedingly rare due to COVID-19 border closures, making these testimonies even more critical for understanding the current human rights situation under Kim Jong-un's leadership.
