North Korea is waging a sweeping crackdown on everything from wedding dresses to slang in an effort to counter the South’s influence, a new report reveals.
The report – released by South Korea’s Unification Ministry – is based on testimony from hundreds of defectors.
These include the case of a 22-year-old who was executed after admitting to listening to South Korean music and distributing films, first reported by the BBC last year.
North Korea called last year’s report “slander and fabrication” but has yet to respond to the new document.
According to reports, home searches have increased since 2021 as authorities look for signs of outdoor cultivation, Yonhap news agency reported.
Signs include wearing a white wedding dress or the groom lifting the bride onto his back.
People’s phones are also searched and checked for South Korean slang in messages and contacts, he adds.
Sunglasses were also deemed counter-revolutionary, according to the report, although North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is known to wear a pair. His father, however, also called certain everyday items of clothing counter-revolutionary, including jeans.
The exact penalty for these offences is unclear.
However, the crackdown on South Korean culture appears to be more severe.
A 2020 law makes viewing or distributing South Korean entertainment punishable by death.
This year’s report includes the account of a public execution that was revealed earlier by the BBC, where a 22-year-old farmer was killed for listening to 70 songs, watching three films and distributing them.
It is believed to be the only account of an execution carried out under the “reactionary law on the rejection of ideology and culture” to date.
A video from earlier this year showed Two teenagers sentenced to forced labor for a similar offense.
The South Korean report was released at a time of growing tensions between the neighboring countries.
Since last month, North Korea has sent more than 2,000 trash-filled balloons across the border – some of them containing parasites.
The meeting between Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin last week further strained relations.
It is therefore worth noting that this is only the second time the report has been published, although it has been produced annually since 2018.
They had not been released before in order to avoid provoking North Korea.
