North Korea says it loves Squid Game because it reflects ‘beastly’ capitalist society

A North Korean propaganda-based website applauded Netflix’s hit original series, Squid Game, saying the gory drama showcases how South Korea is a country where “corruption and immoral scoundrels” are normal.

On Tuesday, a website called Arirang Meari published an article about the show and how it indicated the “reality of capitalist society and South Korea” in which “people are treated like chess players.”

Squid Game made its Netflix debut last month, reaching more than 111 million views within its first month. It tells the story of 456 South Koreans in financial ruts straits who opt to play six sinister and deadly challenges created by children’s games.

The person who prevails in all six games would receive the $38m cash reward.

“It is said that it [Squid Game] makes people realize the sad reality of the beastly South Korean society in which human beings are driven into extreme competition, and their humanity is being wiped out,” read the Arirang Meari article, which was written anonymously.

North Korea’s love for the series seems to overlook the fact that the Squid Game features the heartbreaking story of Kang Sae-byeok (played by Jung Ho-yeon). Kang is a North Korean defector who underwent extreme obstacles to obtain a better life for herself and the remaining members of her family abroad.

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Last February, Reuters reported that countless North Korean media channels supported the Academy Award-winning South Korean film Parasite, holding the movie in high esteem for highlighting the gap between the poor and the rich in South Korea.

North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un called South Korea’s pop culture a “vicious cancer.” He even implemented a staunch ban on K-Pop and Korean dramas in the country.

If some were viewed or listened to pop culture, they could face penalties such as jail or hard labor. Additionally, the North also scrutinised the K-Pop industry, believing it used “slave-like exploitation.”

Responding to the commentary, The Wall Street Journal reported that the South had blasted K-Pop music across the border, presumably as a message.

Although North Korea continues to point the problems of living in the South, the population of people are enduring excruciating food shortages amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Kim’s rule is also known for its shoot-to-kill orders for any North Korean who is found trying to escape the country.