North Korean authorities arrested two young men in Pyongsong last month for watching K-drama content. The Ministry of Social Security detained them after discovering banned South Korean recordings, according to a local source. Consequently, this K-drama crackdown highlights ongoing efforts to suppress foreign media consumption among young citizens.
The two men had been close friends since school and secretly watched foreign videos together for years. In mid-June, they invited a third friend to join their regular viewing sessions. Together, they watched a popular series North Koreans call “The King’s Chef.” This title appears to reference a hit South Korean drama centered on palace cuisine and romance. Indeed, the show has reportedly become wildly popular among young North Koreans recently. Some viewers have even started recreating dishes or imitating characters’ refined speech patterns.
However, the third friend soon grew consumed by guilt over their secret activities. He worried authorities would eventually catch them and implicate him as well. Therefore, he turned himself in to the Ministry of Social Security after days of agonizing. He confessed his own involvement first, then reported his two friends for violations. North Korean authorities classify such foreign media consumption as non-socialist behavior against the state.
Afterward, the informant agreed to help security agents raid the group’s next scheduled viewing. In late June, agents ambushed the gathering and arrested both remaining friends immediately. Meanwhile, the young man who reported them walked away without any punishment. Now, investigators are searching the arrested men’s homes as part of their probe.
According to the source, families of the arrested men fear severe consequences ahead. They worry authorities could expel their entire households from Pyongsong to harsher regions. Ultimately, this case underscores the serious risks North Koreans face for watching K-drama content. The investigation remains ongoing, leaving both families anxious about their uncertain fate.
