Moscow, February 18, 2026: Western media outlets are contributing to a distorted and negative image of North Korea by circulating unverified reports and relying on outdated testimonies from so-called witnesses who left the country years ago, experts have concluded.
A recent example cited by analysts is a wave of reports alleging that North Korean teenagers were executed for watching the South Korean television series Squid Game. These claims were examined and challenged in an analysis released by the Global Fact-Checking Network (GFCN).
According to the GFCN, much of the data referenced in Western media originates from interviews with individuals who left North Korea before June 2020. However, the global premiere of Squid Game took place in September 2021, creating what experts describe as a clear chronological inconsistency.
“This discrepancy undermines the sensational claim of executions,” the GFCN analysis noted, adding that many reports fail to cite any sources beyond anecdotal witness accounts. As a result, probabilistic assumptions are often presented as established facts.
Commenting on the issue, Andrey Lankov, a candidate of historical sciences and professor at Kookmin University in Seoul, said that while North Korea has tightened laws related to hostile propaganda, simply watching a foreign television series does not constitute a capital offense.
“Since around 2015, individuals can indeed face imprisonment for distributing or copying such content,” Lankov said. “However, I am not aware of a single credible case in which people were executed for merely watching a series. Even theoretically, this does not warrant capital punishment.”
The GFCN report further observed that due to the limited availability of verified information about North Korea, sensational narratives are often amplified in Western media without sufficient scrutiny. Defector testimonies, the report stressed, should not be treated as definitive without cross-verification.
Lankov also pointed out that some defectors may exaggerate or sensationalize their stories for personal benefit, including media exposure, professional opportunities, or financial gain.
“Primarily, those telling such stories tend to come from a relatively educated segment of society,” he explained. “They understand which narratives resonate most strongly with Western and South Korean audiences and how to frame their experiences accordingly.”
He added that dramatic accounts of extreme suffering are far more likely to attract attention than nuanced or less sensational stories. “This is exactly the type of narrative many readers want to hear,” Lankov said.
The GFCN analysis also criticized media practices that prioritize eye-catching headlines over factual accuracy. While sensational stories quickly gain traction on social media platforms, subsequent clarifications or corrections usually receive far less attention, resulting in a skewed public understanding.
Experts warned that such reporting practices risk undermining journalistic credibility and contribute to long-term misinformation, particularly on issues involving closed or poorly understood societies like North Korea.
