North Korean authorities arrested two young men in Pyongsong, South Pyongan province, in 2026. Their crime was watching K-drama, the South Korean dramas widely popular among North Korean people, along with other videos the state brands as impure recordings.
A source in South Pyongan province told Daily NK on Wednesday that the Ministry of Social Security arrested the two young men late last month. They had been watching a South Korean television series that has recently drawn intense interest among young North Koreans. They were also watching a number of other banned recordings, the source said.
According to the source, the two young men have been close friends since their school days. For several years, they secretly watched foreign videos together. In mid-June, they invited a third close friend to join them. They felt it was a shame to enjoy the material alone.
The three were watching a series known in North Korea as “The King’s Chef.” The title appears to be a North Korean nickname for “Bon Appetit, Your Majesty.” That South Korean drama became a massive hit last year.
The show centers on lavish palace cuisine and a tender, dramatic romance between its two leads. It has reportedly gained a reputation among North Korean young people as impossible to stop watching once started. The trend has spread quickly. Some young people have taken to recreating the dishes shown in the drama or imitating the characters’ polished speech.
Guilt over watching K-drama leads to arrest
The case began with the third young man, the one invited to the viewings. He was consumed by guilt and turned himself in to the Ministry of Social Security.
He had learned that his two friends had long been secretly watching videos smuggled in from outside North Korea. He feared they would eventually be caught, and that he would be implicated along with them. He agonized for several days before going to the authorities, the source said.
At the Ministry of Social Security, the young man first confessed his own wrongdoing and asked for leniency. He then reported his two friends for non-socialist behavior, a catchall term North Korean authorities use for conduct they consider a threat to socialist ideology, including consuming foreign media. He agreed to help authorities raid the group’s next viewing.
In late June, the three set a date to watch the videos together again. Security agents suddenly raided the gathering. They arrested the two friends. The young man who had reported them was released without further trouble.
The two arrested young men are now undergoing intensive investigation, including a search of their homes, the source said.
“The case is still under investigation,” the source said. “The families of the two arrested young men are living in fear that their entire families could be expelled from Pyongsong to a worse region because of the case.”
Reporting from inside North Korea
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July 17, 2026 at 08:27PM
by DailyNK(North Korean Media)