The North Korean authorities have launched a major crackdown on people watching Western-made films and TV shows.
Children and their parents face jail time if they are caught watching Hollywood blockbusters, sources in the country told Radio Free Asia.
The parents of a child found watching a Hollywood movie will end up spending six months in a forced labour camp. But the children who watched it face an unthinkable five-year sentence.
There’s a massive demand for Western media in Kim Jong-un’s isolated state, but anyone who is convicted of selling smuggled videos can be sentenced to death.
In the past, parents could get away with a serious warning if their children were caught in possession of media from overseas. However, this time, no leniency will be shown for parents whose children are exposed to Western culture. There is also increased pressure on parents to educate their children “properly” in socialist ideals.
Significantly, Kim enforces a wave of stricter regulations relating to dancing, talking, and singing, so it's not simply movie buffs who are the target.
Anyone caught acting "like a South Korean" will also receive a six-month sentence, as will their parents.
As per a Mirror report, sources inside the Hermit Kingdom say Pyongyang has rolled out "Inminban," a compulsory neighbourhood watch meeting in which the regime's orders trickle down to communities.
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