The show "Squid Game" is a hit in North Korea.
The man who smuggled and sold the show to the country was sentenced to death by firing squad, while a high-schooler who bought a drive containing the show received a life sentence, according to sources within the country.
The RFA reported that six more high-schoolers were sentenced to five years of hard labor for watching the series. The teachers and school administrators were fired. They may be sent to work in remote mines.
The South Korean series tells the story of
A law enforcement source told RFA's Korean service that a high school student secretly bought a flash drive containing a South Korean drama and watched it with his best friend in class. Several other students became interested after the friend told them about the flash drive.
The students were caught after a tip-off. It's the first time that the North Korean government has punished a minor under a law that punishes the distribution, watching, or keeping of media from a capitalist country.
RFA's source said that the government was taking the incident very seriously and that the students' education was being neglected.
A student got off the hook thanks to a bribe paid by rich parents.
The state-run North Korean propaganda website said last month that South Korea is where "corrupt and immoral scoundrels are commonplace." A North Korean defector was featured on the show.
Illegal copies of "Squid Game" have made their way into North Korea despite the threat of retribution.
The financial struggles of the show's characters were seen as "relatable" by North Koreans.
The show is the most watched show in the company's history.
