In North Korea, the consequences for angering Kim Jong Un can be dire. Now, he has added a new target: K-pop music.
The North Korean dictator outlined his objections to the musical phenomenon imported from South Korea that is typified by upbeat tunes, longer hair, and brightly colored costumes, according to a report Thursday.
The music style is a “vicious cancer” that corrupts the “attire, hairstyles, speeches, behaviors” of young North Koreans, a catastrophe that could make the country “crumble like a damp wall,” Kim said.
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The North Korean government passed laws in December that cracked down on the dissemination of South Korean movies and music such as K-pop. Those who are caught possessing or watching the illegal material face up to 15 years in a labor camp, according to documents smuggled out of the country by the South Korean outlet Daily NK.
Dealers of such media may be put to death.
Kim is concerned that South Korean slang is influencing North Korean young people through movies from Seoul. Women have reportedly started to call their significant others the Korean word for “honey,” a popular convention in South Korean movies.
The laws are part of an effort by the government to crack down on Western cultural material.
In May, the government outlawed mullets and skinny jeans, issuing a list of 15 approved hairstyles from which North Koreans could choose.
In 2015, the South Korean military used loudspeakers to blast K-pop songs into North Korea across the demilitarized zone, the border between the two countries. North Korea fired artillery and increased troops stationed on the border in response.
K-pop has also risen in popularity outside of the Korean Peninsula in recent years.
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The band BTS won the award for top selling song at the 2021 Billboard Music Awards for the song “Dynamite.” That song was also nominated for a Grammy.
