JAKARTA - A number of North Korean high school students who were caught singing and dancing to the song of the South Korean boy group BTS were arrested. According to South Korean press reports, they are currently being investigated.
A source in North Korea's South Pyongan Province said the students were North Korean Red Youth Guard trainees who were taking a break from training, Seoul Pyongyang News reported. The Red Youth Guard is a North Korean youth cadet militia organization.
The Anju Middle School students were listening to BTS's hit song Blood, Sweat & Tears on an MP3 player and singing the lyrics, the source said.
A local branch of the North Korean Workers' Party and state security was notified of the activity. The students are currently being investigated for engaging in "reactionary ideology and culture," which violates North Korean laws.
In December North Korea passed a law against reactionary ideology and culture, which refers to the flow of information from the outside world, including South Korean entertainment and broadcast media.
A SP News source said BTS' songs are enjoying "explosive popularity" among North Korean youth.
"They also know that BTS is a young South Korean singer, that they have topped the Billboard charts many times, something that many artists don't do," said a North Korean source.
The source also said that young North Koreans love BTS's songs for their meaningful lyrics that tell listeners to "love themselves."
North Koreans who were indoctrinated to be loyal to the country were "shocked" to hear the message of self-care for the individual, the source said, according to SP News.
The BTS song Blood, Sweat & Tears was also mentioned in a 2020 report from South Korean news service Daily NK.
A North Korean military source told the news agency last year that three soldiers in their 20s "partyed" with the song and were arrested.
South Korea's White Paper on Human Rights in North Korea published last month said the regime had strengthened penalties for citizens caught viewing outside media.
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