According to Radio Free Asia, a man has been sentenced to death for sneaking copies of Netflix’s hit series “Squid Game” into North Korea (via Variety).
Authorities were led to the man when high school pupils were discovered watching the show, according to reports. According to the investigation, “Squid Game” was smuggled into the nation from China via a USB flash drive.
The smuggler faces execution by firing squad, while the kids who brought “Squid Game” into school face prison sentences.
Radio Free Asia reports: “A 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 teachers and school administrators have been fired and face banishment to work in remote mines.”
“Squid Game,” in particular, has been a source of anger in the dictatorship. North Korean propaganda site Arirang Meari excoriated the high-concept survival drama as depicting the “sad reality of a beastly South Korean society.”
According to the RFA report, there is widespread public concern about the fate of the high school pupils, and more people could be involved in the probe.
“Squid Game,” a South Korean survival thriller directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk, depicts a group of participants who agree to take part in a secret survival game with a grand reward of roughly $40.