KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 1 — A North Korean secondary school student has been sentenced to 14 years jail for watching a South Korean movie for five minutes.

According to Daily NK, the Hyesan City’s Elementary and Middle School student was arrested after getting caught watching the movie Mister.

It was not known how the authorities found out about the student’s activity.

North Korea’s anti-reactionary ideology and culture denial law states those caught watching, listening, or keeping South Korean films, recordings, compilations, books, songs, drawings, and photos will be sentenced to more than five years and less than 15 years correctional labor punishment.

The report said that North Korean authorities are trying to create an atmosphere of fear by implementing strict laws, recognising that Korean movies and dramas have become quite popular among the younger generation.

It was reportedly recently that a North Korean man has been sentenced to death by firing squad for smuggling and selling copies of Netflix’s Squid Game after authorities at the hermit kingdom reportedly caught seven secondary school students watching the global hit show.

The smuggler is said to have brought a copy of Squid Game from China and sold USB flash drives containing the series.