{"id":131769,"date":"2026-08-25T17:08:13","date_gmt":"2026-08-25T17:08:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/131769\/"},"modified":"2026-08-25T17:08:13","modified_gmt":"2026-08-25T17:08:13","slug":"north-korea-cracks-down-on-universities-over-k-drama-arrests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/131769\/","title":{"rendered":"North Korea cracks down on universities over K-drama arrests"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Students<\/a>A computer center at Kim Il Sung University in Pyongyang. Photo: Uri Tours (CC BY 2.0)<\/p>\n

North Korean authorities have ordered intensive inspections at universities nationwide, including in Pyongyang, after seven students at Kim Chaek University of Technology were arrested.<\/p>\n

A source in Pyongyang said central authorities issued the directive on Aug. 3, after Kim Chaek University students were arrested by the National Intelligence Agency<\/a> for developing new circumvention technology to bypass the state\u2019s internet firewall<\/a>, watch South Korean videos and distribute them. \u201cThe central authorities have designated the rapid spread of South Korean culture<\/a> among science and technology talent as a serious threat to the system,\u201d the source said.<\/p>\n

According to the source, the directive expressed fury that science and technology talent had used their skills to increase threats to the system, and warned that authorities would make an example of the students to root out the ideological deviation that has become widespread among the intelligentsia.<\/p>\n

Central authorities said such incidents could occur not only at Kim Chaek University, known as the cradle of North Korea\u2019s science and technology sector, but at any university in Pyongyang and across the country, and demanded harsh inspections. They specifically ordered thorough searches of laptops and mobile phones used by students, as well as any other electronic devices they might be hiding.<\/p>\n

Authorities also instructed officials to closely monitor students who had previously been caught violating rules or who behaved suspiciously, as well as students who moved around in groups, and to ruthlessly arrest anyone showing even minor signs of suspicious activity. They also stressed the need to establish a system in which classmates monitor and report on each other at all times, to crush any infiltration of South Korean culture and any attempt to form dissident organizations before they can take root.<\/p>\n

Campuses on edge<\/p>\n

The source said that following the directive, the State Intelligence Bureau, the Ministry of Social Security, the anti-socialist inspection group <\/a>(a task force that investigates behavior deemed a threat to socialist ideology) and university party committees have all been mobilized to examine the operating systems on students\u2019 laptops and mobile phones, digging up records that had already been deleted. \u201cAn atmosphere of walking on thin ice has emerged on campuses,\u201d the source said.<\/p>\n

Inspectors have reportedly been raiding university dormitories and research labs at all hours, overturning drawers and searching bags, a scene that has played out daily.<\/p>\n

Inspectors are focusing their investigations on students who are enrolled but not attending classes, while also conducting full inspections and certification checks of network equipment. Amid concerns that highly skilled students could develop new circumvention technologies<\/a>, authorities are reportedly also monitoring the communication equipment and program development environments universities use for research.<\/p>\n

Still, some within universities are responding to the tight inspections with skepticism. \u201cNo matter how much they threaten students with guns and knives, or search their computers and phones, it\u2019s impossible to fully control the curiosity and longing of young students who have already opened their eyes to the outside world,\u201d the source said.<\/p>\n

Read in Korean<\/a><\/p>\n

Reporting from inside North Korea<\/p>\n

\n Daily NK operates networks of sources inside North Korea who document events in real-time and transmit information through secure channels. Unlike reporting based on state media, satellite imagery, or defector accounts from years past, our journalism comes directly from people currently living under the regime. We verify reports through multiple independent sources and cross-reference details before publication.\n <\/p>\n

\n Our sources remain anonymous because contact with foreign media is treated as a capital offense in North Korea \u2014 discovery means imprisonment or execution. This network-based approach allows Daily NK to report on developments other outlets cannot access: market trends, policy implementation, public sentiment, and daily realities that never appear in official narratives.\n <\/p>\n

\n Maintaining these secure communication channels and protecting source identities requires specialized protocols and constant vigilance. Daily NK serves as a bridge between North Koreans and the outside world, documenting what\u2019s happening inside one of the world\u2019s most closed societies.\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A computer center at Kim Il Sung University in Pyongyang. Photo: Uri Tours (CC BY 2.0) North Korean…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":131770,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[449,21780,129,1792,4918,3759,12248,15034],"class_list":["post-131769","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-pyongyang","tag-crackdowns","tag-ministry-of-state-security","tag-pyongyang","tag-south-korean-culture","tag-students","tag-surveillance","tag-universities","tag-youth"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131769","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=131769"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131769\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/131770"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=131769"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=131769"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=131769"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}