SEOUL, Oct. 21 (UPI) — North Koreans continue to consume South Korean videos and music despite the growing risk of criminal sentences and even death, according to a new survey of defectors and others still inside the country.
Fifty more people within the tightly controlled state participated in clandestine investigative phone interviews, while a hundred recent defectors in South Korea recounted their reports in the North in face-to-face interviews.
The survey obviously demonstrates a thirst for data despite the climate of concern within the country, said Lee Kwang-baek, president of Unification Media Group.
“The punishment for criminals who watch, pay attention to, or broadcast news outdoors in North Korea has particularly intensified, so North Koreans are afraid of exposing themselves to outdoor data,” Lee told UPI. [But] the means of receiving external data, media and virtual devices, have continued to increase. “
There have also been public executions of others accused of viewing or distributing videos from South Korea, according to reports by the Daily NK and human rights researchers.
“Although external data has become evident, the tireless efforts based on courage and perseverance made through North KoreansArray. . . to get and consume external data we are very impressed,” Lee said.
In addition to entertainment, the survey showed a high demand for information on outdoor situations around the world and inside North Korea, which has kept its borders closed since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“If the foreign network understands the changes in North Korean society and manages to [send] external data to North Korea via radio waves or garage devices, we can achieve, protect and protect data freedom and the right to know in North Korean society,” Lee said.
“We’ve quite reached the limit with sanctions, and because of the North Korean government’s position, we can’t do much with negotiations and compromise,” said Sokeel Park, South Korea director for the NGO Liberty in North Korea. Said.
“The cultural force and the force of information. . . remains an underutilized and underinvested strategy that we can leverage to drive long-term positive change, openness and, ultimately, freedom for the people of North Korea. “
The survey has not yet been published online.