Kim Jong Un was meant to be their only idol
A North Korean defector shares her experience of discovering South Korean pop culture, specifically BTS, after escaping the restrictive regime. The article contrasts the freedom of expression in the South with the state-controlled surveillance and cultural isolation of North Korea.
Why it matters
It highlights the power of soft power and cultural exports in challenging authoritarian regimes and providing a window into the outside world for oppressed populations.
Figure caption, Watch: Songs that changed how some North Koreans saw the world
On a sunny Saturday in June, Lee Yeon-su took the day off from work and hopped on a train from Seoul to Busan for yet another concert by pop supergroup BTS.
She had been in the crowds that poured into central Seoul in March, when the septet launched their comeback - but the stage was too far away. In April, on the first day of their world tour, the rain poured down, drowning out the singers' voices. But this time in Busan, it was "incredible".
"Every time I come to a BTS concert, I realise how happy I am that I can like and support someone of my own free will," Yeon-su, which is not her real name, says. "That would have been unimaginable in North Korea."
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