“North Korea executes schoolchildren for watching Squid Game.”
Koreaboo
2 hours ago
A recent Sky News report has gone viral, claiming that North Korea executes schoolchildren for watching South Korean media, including Squid Game and listening to K-Pop groups like BTS.
The story is based on alleged testimony collected by Amnesty International UK, which conducted 25 in-depth interviews with North Korean escapees.
| Bighit Music
According to the report, citizens caught consuming foreign media face extreme punishments under the 2020 Anti-Reactionary Thought and Culture Act. While the law prescribes five to 15 years of forced labour for watching South Korean content, distributing it or organizing group viewings can reportedly result in death.
Amnesty International says poorer citizens are more likely to be punished severely, while wealthier families can use bribes or connections to avoid the harshest penalties.
| Reuters
Escapees also describe a system of public executions intended to intimidate the population and enforce ideological control. Many recall being taken to witness these events as teenagers, which officials reportedly use as a warning against consuming foreign entertainment. Despite the dangers, North Korean citizens continue to smuggle and watch dramas, movies, and music from China on USB drives.
The report notes that some government officials secretly consume the same content they publicly crack down on.
| Netflix
The Sky News coverage of Amnesty International’s findings has sparked a wave of online reactions, with many readers questioning the accuracy of the claims and expressing skepticism toward Western media coverage of North Korea.
I don’t know how you can see a headline like this and not immediately realize you have to stop believing anything any western media source says about North Korea https://t.co/L8LhbWtHKm
— Fairy Gothmother, MD (@jenny2x4) February 6, 2026
thank you north korea for this very real thing you do in real life actually https://t.co/ny09lGwOX3
— Mehrdaad (@iranianwario) February 6, 2026
And you wonder why no one trusts main stream media anymore…
— Spetsnaℤ 007 🇷🇺 (@Alex_Oloyede2) February 6, 2026
Source: Sky News and Amnesty International UK