‘Squid Game’ gives N. Korea propaganda advantage

SEOUL: A North Korean propaganda website says the international hit Squid Game exposes the reality of South Korean capitalist culture, where “corruption and immoral scoundrels are commonplace”.

North Korea’s Arirang Meari site cited unnamed South Korean film critics as saying that the TV series showed an “unequal society where moneyless people are treated like chess pieces for the rich”.

Made in South Korea, the nine-part thriller – in which cash-strapped contestants play deadly childhood games in a bid to win 45.6 billion won (RM158mil) – became a global hit after its September release.“It is said that it makes people realise the sad reality of the beastly South Korean society in which human beings are driven into extreme competition and their humanity is being wiped out,” the article said.

North Korea has been imposing stiff fines or prison for anyone caught enjoying South Korean entertainment or copying the way South Koreans speak as leader Kim Jong-un steps up a war on outside influences and calls for better homegrown entertainment.

South Korean culture in routinely criticised in North Korea.

In March, the Arirang Meari website said K-pop stars were treated like “slaves” by large companies and lived a “miserable life” in the South. — Reuters