A man in North Korea has been handed the death penalty after smuggling in copies of the hit Netflix show Squid Game and illegally distributing them.
Sources in the North Hamgyong province told Radio Free Asia that the man brought in the copies on USB drives from China and sold them to high school students.
The operation was foiled when authorities caught seven students watching the hit South Korean drama.
The perpetrator has been sentenced to death by firing squad, as North Korea tightens its laws on letting capitalist media into the country.
One student that purchased the show has been sentenced to life in prison, while six others who watched Squid Game have been sentenced to five years hard labour.
The students were punished under North Korea’s new Elimination of Reactionary Thought and Culture law, which keeps a firm grip on outside media.
Penalties were extended to the school too, with reports teachers, the principal and other administrative staff were dismissed.
The nine-part fictional Netflix drama sees 456 bankrupt contestants compete for a multi-million dollar cash prize.
The contestants take part in a series of children’s games to win the money, and those who lose the games end up paying with their lives.
After being released in September, Squid Game has quickly become the most popular show in Netflix’s history.
Image credits: Netflix
