Kim Jong Un reportedly 'purged' North Korean officials for watching soap operas


Another week, another undersourced news item about life in the Hermit Kingdom.
South Korea's National Intelligence Service announced that Pyongyang has purged 10 officials for watching South Korean soap operas, Yonhap reports. As Bloomberg News points out, there is little context about the announcement, including what action was taken or when it occurred.
Popular throughout Asia, South Korean soap operas have gained a foothold in North Korea despite being forbidden. "North Koreans face harsh punishment for listening to foreign broadcasts and possessing dissident publications," says Yonhap.
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Nico Lauricella was editor-in-chief at TheWeek.com. He was formerly the site's deputy editor and an editor at The Huffington Post.
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