(TheRedWire.com) – Netflix released a new series titled “Squid Game” in September. The South Korean-produced 9-part series is the most-watched show in the streaming video company’s history. Netflix recently tweeted that the show is so popular it reached 111 million fans and claimed the top spot over Bridgerton, which has attracted 80 million viewers so far.
The adult-themed drama shares the story of 456 South Koreans who are on the financial verge of collapse. They are so desperate they agree to play a high-risk, high-reward game. Modeled after Korean children’s games, contestants try to win the $38 million prize. There’s just one catch. If you lose a game, you die. The show’s popularity was so enticing that North Korea chimed in on South Korean society’s economic and social aspects.
North Korea Makes Ironic, Twisted Statement
In 1953, the North and South agreed to a truce after fighting a brutal civil war between the powers of communism and capitalism. The two technically remain at war. For decades, North Korea criticized South Korea for depicting itself as a positive capitalist state. The communist country often highlights what it believes to be an unethical, immoral capitalist system. That’s despite the problems the hermit kingdom has with human rights and dignity—more on that in a moment.
For years, communist dictator Kim Jong-un banned outside influences and labeled them threats to his regime. In June, Kim claimed South Korean entertainment was a lethal cancer. He said it corrupted the youth. Kim banned K-Pop music in the North. To mock them, the South occasionally blasts the music over the country’s border. In June, the state-run North Korean newspaper told the country’s young people to avoid using dangerous slang from the South.
Now, the North Koreans allege the Squid Games highlights actual life in South Korea. It says the show reflects the South’s unequal society where absurd values of brutality destroy a person’s humanity through extreme competition.
Despite the North’s claims, it’s not in an excellent place to criticize the South. The North continually experiences widespread food shortages, starvation, and extreme poverty. At the same time, those nearest the dictator live lavish lifestyles and lack little. The North also imposes weighted penalties such as hard labor and jail time for those who indulge in South Korean culture.
Additionally, North Koreans are not allowed to leave the country under any circumstances. The communist regime will issue a kill order for those who try to escape.
Any time South Korea prospers in any way, North Korea is there to try to put a lid on it. One can call it jealousy or envy. To some, it’s just a child’s game. Could Kim end up on Season 2?
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