North Korea Allegedly Executes Children Over BTS and Squid Game, Sky News Reports Spark Online Reactions

BTS and Squid Game face horrifying controversy in North Korea.

A viral Sky News report reveals that North Korea is executing schoolchildren caught watching Squid Game and listening to K-pop like BTS. The shocking claims come from testimonies Amnesty International UK gathered from 25 North Korean escapees.

The 2020 Anti-Reactionary Thought and Culture Act punishes watching South Korean content with 5 to 15 years of forced labor. Distributing or organizing group viewings can lead to execution.

Poorer citizens reportedly face harsher punishments, while wealthier families use bribes and connections to avoid death.

Escapees say public executions are used as intimidation, with teenagers forced to watch to deter foreign media consumption. Despite risks, many still smuggle USB drives filled with dramas, movies, and K-pop from China.

Some North Korean officials even secretly watch the same banned content they publicly condemn.

BTS Proof
Bighit Music

Kim Jong Un
Reuters

Squid Game
Netflix

The story has sparked intense online reactions, with many doubting Western media’s portrayal of North Korea:

“I don’t know how you can see a headline like this and not immediately realize you have to stop believing anything any western media source says about North Korea”
— Fairy Gothmother, MD (@jenny2x4) Feb 6, 2026