Son Ye-jin and Hyun Bin starred in ‘Love’s Landing’ which is popular in both North and South Korea. (Taken from tvN official website)
In order to suppress the influence of South Korean Culture on the North Korean people, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un introduced the Reactionary Ideology and Culture Rejection Law late last year to stop the “Korean Wave” with heavy penalties. The maximum penalty for peeping at Korean dramas, Korean movies, and accessing South Korean media is 15 years of labor reform. Those who distribute South Korean movies or import contraband from the U.S. and Japan can be sentenced to death or Life imprisonment.
Daily NK, a website run by defectors and based in the South Korean capital Seoul, reported that after the outbreak of the Epidemic, people have been spending more Time at Home, and North Koreans have been watching more South Korean TV shows, including Korean dramas such as “Love Landing” and “Convenience Store Star”, and even the singing talent show “Mr. Trot”, which is popular in North Korea.
According to the report, the “Reactionary Ideology and Cultural Exclusion Act” was implemented at the end of last year, and the relevant measures include Parents being fined for children violating the ban; up to 15 years in prison for watching South Korean media; and penalties for producing or distributing pornographic content, using unregistered TVs, radios, computers, imported cell phones or other electronic products.
The Japan-based magazine Rimjungang, which presents and discloses inside information about North Korea, reported that the Reactionary Ideology and Cultural Exclusion Act also strictly prohibits South Korean accents or South Korean writing styles. Citing a text allegedly written by Kim Jong-un himself, the report criticized terms that are commonly used in South Korea, such as “oppa” (brother) and “dong saeng” (brother, sister) for people who are not related to each other.
According to Daily North Korea, anyone caught importing contraband from South Korea will be sentenced to life in prison, and anyone caught importing large quantities of goods from the U.S. or Japan can be sentenced to death.
Park Suk-gil, director of research for the North Korean Freedom group, noted that the new law appears to add several penalties and tighten controls on foreign information.
He said that the North Korean government is particularly concerned about the influence of South Korea’s wealthy and democratic South Korea, especially in regulating intangible elements such as South Korean Film and Television content and accents.
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