尽管朝鲜政权严厉禁止国民接触韩国流行文化，但K-pop已通过非法渠道在该国广泛传播 [1]。BTS和Blackpink等韩国艺人的音乐成为了许多朝鲜人了解外部世界的窗口 [1]。
朝鲜当局对这一文化入侵的打击力度极大 [1]。2022年，朝鲜公开处决了3名因分发韩国内容而被捕的青少年 [1]。尽管面临如此严厉的惩罚，但根据2023年的调查，98%的脱北者曾在朝鲜观看过韩剧或电影 [1]。
BTS的歌曲《Dynamite》自2020年发行以来，其舞蹈动作在朝鲜青年中流行开来 [1]。多位脱北者分享了自己的亲身经历，包括Lee Yeon-su、Kang Gyu-ri和Hannah Oh [1]。这些音乐不仅为他们提供了娱乐，更重要的是赋予了他们在高压环境下追求自由、表达自我乃至最终选择逃离的勇气 [1]。
Despite the North Korean regime's stringent prohibition on South Korean pop culture and severe punishments for violating the ban, K-pop artists including BTS and Blackpink have achieved widespread underground circulation within the country through illegal channels [1]. The music has become more than entertainment for those exposed to it; defectors describe how these songs provided a window into the outside world and instilled courage to pursue freedom and self-expression in an oppressive environment [1].
The regime's enforcement efforts underscore the perceived threat. In 2022, North Korea publicly executed three teenagers who were caught distributing South Korean content [1]. Despite such consequences, a 2023 survey found that 98 percent of defectors had watched South Korean dramas or films while living in North Korea [1].
BTS's "Dynamite," released in 2020, exemplifies the music's reach; its choreography reportedly gained popularity among North Korean youth [1]. Defectors Lee Yeon-su, Kang Gyu-ri, and Hannah Oh have shared accounts of discovering K-pop and its role in their lives under the regime [1].