Haeundae hits a Pyongyang college. A group of North Korean college students were caught watching a downloaded version of the movie Haeundae one month after it was released in South Korea, according to a think tank group in Seoul called North Korea Intellectuals Solidarity.
"In a separate release by the Korean Institute of National Unification, experts have quoted North Korean defectors who have testified that South Korean melodramas like "Autumn in My Heart" and "Winter Sonata" have become a such hit in the North that a special squad was once organized to crack down on the violators" (Hollywood Reporter).
South Korean pop culture must be so intriguing and fascinating to the North Koreans who have experienced nothing but the Dear Leader's propaganda. It also probably brings them an escape from the reality of their world to the extent that they are willing to be imprisoned (now the incidents are so common, sentences have been reduced).
About 20 years ago, a group of North Korea officials visited our home in China. My father played for them a South Korean sitcom (전원일기). Even at a young age I knew that this might land us in trouble. Fortunately, my father's instinct knew that they would love it and soon the officials were all on the floor laughing their hearts out. They wanted more. More laughter. More light heartedness. More happiness.
For more information: ABC News: NKoreans Risking Lives for SKorean Soap Operas
