Archive · 15 Sep 2025
North Koreans Risking Death to Watch South Korean TV
In North Korea, watching South Korean TV shows is a dangerous activity.
The government has strict laws against consuming or sharing South Korean media, with severe punishments, including the death penalty.
Despite the risk, many North Koreans secretly watch these shows because they show a different world, offering a glimpse of a more free and prosperous society.
The shows offer a view of life that is far more glamorous compared to what is available in North Korea.
Watching these shows can give people the strength to escape the confines of their life.
North Korea has laws against consuming South Korean media, including TV dramas.
Penalties for watching and sharing banned content range from labor to execution.
Defectors report that a large majority watched South Korean shows before leaving.
South Korean dramas provide a contrast to the propaganda of the North Korean regime.
The government is cracking down on the spread of South Korean media.
- Who
- North Koreans
- What
- Watching South Korean TV shows and films
- When
- Ongoing, with laws and crackdowns intensifying in recent years
- Where
- North Korea
- Why
- To experience an alternative view of life and culture, providing a contrast to North Korean propaganda
North Korean Government
North Korean Citizens
Media Content
North Korean Government
Views South Korean media as "rotten ideology" that undermines loyalty.
North Korean Citizens
Views South Korean media as a window to the outside world.
Appropriate Punishment
North Korean Government
Imposes severe punishment, including death, for watching/sharing media.
North Korean Citizens
Willing to risk punishment for consuming and sharing media.
- Law
- Anti-Reactionary Thought Law (2020); Pyongyang Cultural Language Protection Act (2023)
- Punishments
- Forced labor, prison camps, and execution
- Content
- K-dramas, K-pop, South Korean media
- Prevalence
- 83% of defectors watched South Korean shows before leaving
- Show Example
- "May Queen" (2012), "Crash Landing on You" (2019)