Hyojung Kim

North Korean defectors describe how smuggled South Korean music and television opened a window onto freedom, self-expression and a different way of life. Despite bans, surveillance, imprisonment and reported public executions for distributing South Korean content, K-pop spread through television signals, MP3 players and SD cards. BTS, Blackpink, Girls’ Generation and other groups became secret cultural reference points, while their music helped some defectors endure repression, adapt to South Korea and build a sense of identity and belonging. The article argues that this cultural influence threatens the Kim family’s information control by encouraging North Koreans to imagine alternatives to the regime’s prescribed collective life.

North Korean defectors describe how secretly accessing K-pop exposed them to ideas of freedom and self‑expression that sharply contrasted with the rigid controls of Kim Jong-un’s regime. Despite harsh punishments for consuming South Korean media, K-pop songs and performances circulated through television signals, memory cards and shared files, influencing fashion, speech and personal aspirations. For many defectors, music by groups such as BTS and BlackPink offered hope, emotional connection and a sense of identity that helped them adjust to life in South Korea and challenge fear instilled by North Korea’s tightly controlled system.

North Korean defectors describe how secretly consuming K-pop and South Korean media offered a rare sense of freedom, individuality and hope inside a rigidly controlled society that allows only loyalty to Kim Jong Un. Despite harsh punishments, including executions for distributing foreign content, K-pop spread through smuggled SD cards, TV signals and shared files, inspiring young people and influencing speech, fashion and attitudes. After escaping, many defectors say the music helped them adjust to life in South Korea, offering emotional support, identity and a sense of belonging, especially through BTS’s themes of self‑acceptance and resilience.

North Korean defectors describe how K‑pop secretly entered their isolated country, offering a rare sense of freedom and self-expression despite harsh penalties under Kim Jong Un’s regime. Many recount discovering BTS, Blackpink and other groups in secret via TV signals, MP3 players or SD cards, finding hope in lyrics and performances banned at home. Exposure to this music often heightened their awareness of life outside North Korea, influenced fashion and speech, and for some contributed to their decision to flee. After resettling in South Korea, several defectors say K‑pop helped them adjust, build confidence and heal from trauma, giving them a sense of belonging and autonomy previously denied to them.