North Koreans Prohibited From Watching Foreign Movies
North Korean authorities are forbidding citizens from watching foreign movies, especially Chinese ones, reflecting the deterioration of Sino-North Korean relations, sources from inside the country said.
Authorities decided to reinforce the prohibition of foreign videos, after the arrests of two South Koreans in March: Kim Guk Gi and Choi Chun Gil. North Korea accused them of espionage for allegedly gathering military secrets in North Korea, sources said. South Korea denied such accusations and demanded their immediate release.
About six months ago, North Korean authorities did not regulate Chinese' possessions of DVDs and USB drives, on the condition that they do not share the movies with North Koreans, a source said.
“But recently, authorities have prohibited Chinese from brining DVDs or USBs containing Chinese movies into North Korea,” another source said. He also added that it had been more than a year since Chinese movies were broadcasted on North Korean television.
“People who are caught watching Chinese videos receive a less severe punishment than those who watch South Korean videos; nevertheless, it’s hard for them to avoid punishment in a labor camp,” another source said.
“Kim Jong Un’s regime is reacting hysterically to China, expressing its discomfort,” a North Korean source in China said, especially in regards to China’s pressure on North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program.
When Kim Jung Un’s father, Kim Jong Il, was alive, North Korea’s relations with China were good and considered important. Therefore, North Korean television showed many Chinese movies.
Last year, North Korea’s state television station stopped broadcasting Chinese and Russian films to protect the nation from foreign influences, sources inside the country said. They said that the official Chosun Central Television station ended its regular weekend broadcast of films from China and Russia, due to a directive from Kim Jong Un, notwithstanding stable relations with the both nations.
[Source: Radio Free Asia]
