{"id":4050,"date":"2019-02-04T17:24:55","date_gmt":"2019-02-04T08:24:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.01.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/?p=4050"},"modified":"2019-02-06T14:34:31","modified_gmt":"2019-02-06T05:34:31","slug":"kdrama-crackdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.02.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/2019\/02\/recommendations\/kdrama-crackdown\/","title":{"rendered":"\uff1cInside N. Korea\uff1e K-Drama Crackdown: Prisons Packed as Regime Reacts to South Korea\u2019s Rising Popularity"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A police officer detains a woman on her bicycle in the street. The arrested woman is on the verge of tears. Photographed in January 2011 outside Pyongyang by Kim Dong-cheol (ASIAPRESS)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u25c6Public Denouncement Rallies Held Across the Country<\/h2>\n

At the end of last year, North Koreans were mobilized all across the country to attend \u201cpublic denouncement rallies\u201d. Once gathered at a stadium or other public venue, attendees bore witness to the pageantry of a mock trial and arrest. With police presiding over the spectacle, \u201ccriminals\u201d were dragged on stage before 200-300 local residents and workers to be denounced for their crimes.<\/p>\n

Among the criminals to be dragged on stage were drug dealers and, somewhat surprisingly, fortune-tellers. A local partner in Hyesan, who took part in one such rally last October, reported that, \u201c1 man and 6 women were brought on stage to be condemned for \u2018superstitious acts\u2019 before they were handcuffed and dragged away.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u25c612-year prison sentences for fortune tellers<\/h2>\n

According to the local reporting partner, these fortune-tellers were sent to a correctional center in late December, where they have been ever since. In late January, the partner reported that, \u201c1 of the fortune-tellers was sentenced to 12 years in prison. In addition, those who go to fortune-tellers\u2019 houses to receive these \u2018superstitious\u2019 services are liable to be sentenced as well. Most are condemned to over 3 years of jail time.\u201d<\/p>\n

In North Korea, it is common to pay bribes in order to avoid arrest or prison time. However, it is said to be extremely difficult to escape punishment for crimes related to the \u2018public denouncement rallies\u2019.<\/p>\n

According to the local reporting partner, it is not just fortune-tellers who have been receiving lengthy jail sentences lately. \u201cSmugglers, fraudsters, and consumers of illegal entertainment have increasingly becomes targets of the police. The number of arrests has soared so dramatically that the families of arrested criminals are having to queue up at the police station in order to pay visits. With this recent uptick in arrests, these days people are more afraid of the local police than the secret police. There is more pressure than ever as criminals are now being taken away by armed police units.\u201d
\n\u203b Foreign movies and dramas, such as those from South Korea, are strictly prohibited from being seen or sold as they are \u201cimpure\u201d.
\nNext page: Is the strong enforcement a \"side-effect\" of recent inter-Korean dialogue?\u2026 <\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u25c6Is the strong enforcement a \"side-effect\" of recent inter-Korean dialogue?<\/h2>\n

What is the reason behind the harsh punishments?<\/p>\n

After last year\u2019s inter-Korean summit in April, the general population in North Korea gained expectations that economic support and investment from South Korea would soon be on its way. At the same time, increased exposure to South Korea made quite an impression on the North Korean people, with the population increasingly expressing their admiration for the freedom enjoyed in South Korean society. The North Korean authorities, however, were prepared for this shift in public opinion and responded by ramping up the national campaign against anti-socialism.<\/p>\n

The regime does not only fear the influence of illegal media, however, as its crackdown extends also to clothing and hairstyles that are deemed to be capitalist in nature. In addition, the campaign also targets privately operated restaurants and street stalls. Finally, the \u2018public denouncement rallies\u2019 serve as a chilling reminder to the people that those who break from the state\u2019s socialist traditions will be severely punished.<\/p>\n

It is to take a precaution against the side effect of the public opinion favoring South Korea and capitalism with increased contacts with the South.<\/p>\n

(Kang Ji-won)<\/p>\n

\u203bArticle 256 of North Korea's revised criminal law 2015 stipulates that those who receive bribes and commit \"superstitious acts\" will be sentenced to up to a year of forced labor, or more than 3 years up to 7 years in extreme cases. As reports indicate that recently-tried criminals have been sentenced to 12 years in prison, it is possible either that the law has been amended or that the sentences were given for a combination of crimes.<\/p>\n

\u203bASIAPRESS contacts reporters in North Korea through smuggled Chinese mobile phones.<\/p>\n

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