Curiously, no bootlegged copies of Netflix’s Cowboy Bebop were found.
So unlike many of you, I haven’t watched the shockingly popular South Korean drama Squid Game. But it turns out that seven North Korean students did, and there’s going to be dire consequences for them, and the guy that smuggled the drama into the country.
The smuggler apparently brought a copy of the show the show into the county, despite the COVID restrictions at the border. He then proceeded to copy them to USB flash drives and sold them. This was probably not a bright idea, even if it made him some serious money, because North Korean officials pretty much stated that they hate the show. the hate it for two reasons; one being the fact that it’s from South Korea (natch). The other, well, let’s just take a look at that Netflix description:
Hundreds of cash-strapped players accept a strange invitation to compete in children’s games. Inside, a tempting prize awaits — with deadly high stakes.
Hmmm. Yeah, can’t imagine why North Korea hates a show about people in a dystopic setting playing children’s games for money with death as the silver medal reward. Complete mystery. But anyway, these kids should’ve been watching good, wholesome North Korean entertainment, like Squirrel and Hedgehog:
Not gonna lie; the fact that they depicted the US as buff, badass wolves with glowing blue eyes and our women are all stone-cold (literal) foxes? Pretty fuckin’ rad. Actually flattered as a ‘murican.
Anyway, you’re probably wondering what’s gonna happen to these kids and the smuggler. Well, the smuggler’s getting executed by firing squad. As for the students, the “student who bought a drive received a life sentence, while six others who watched the show have been sentenced to five years hard labor.” And the teachers are all fired, and are probably going to wind up working the mines, or also dead (whichever comes first) or imprisoned. And the same probably goes for anybody that ever had contact with the smuggler. Per one of Radio Free Asia‘s (obviously anonymous) sources:
The government is taking this incident very seriously, saying that the students’ education was being neglected. The Central Committee dismissed the school principal, their youth secretary, and their homeroom teacher.
They were also expelled from the party. It is certain that they will be sent to toil in coal mines or exiled to rural parts of the country, so other school teachers are all worrying that it could happen to them too if one of their students is also caught up in the investigation.
The whole thing kicked off a hunt by authorities for any storage devices or CD’s containing foreign media. Per a second RFA source:
The residents are all trembling in fear because they will be mercilessly punished for buying or selling memory storage devices, no matter how small.
But regardless of how strict the government’s crackdown seems to be, rumors are circulating that among the seven arrested students, one with rich parents was able to avoid punishment because they bribed the authorities with U.S. $3,000.
Residents are complaining that the world is unfair because if parents have money and power even their children who are sentenced to death can be released.
But yeah, given the Squid Game‘s popularity, this was probably a matter of “when”, not “if”. And the response isn’t much of a surprise either. Jesus, this is Radio Free Asia’s top 5 North Korea articles:
Well, looking at #2 there, I’m thinking if I ever have the money, I’m getting a leather jacket, maybe with an embroidered patch on the back with that Squirrel and Hedgehog fox, in a bomber nose art style. Sounds like a fun thing to me. Gramps probably would’ve got a kick out of it, especially after I explained the thought process behind it.
Source: Radio Free Asia
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