N. Korea campaigns against anti

By Yi Whan-woo

North Korea is cracking down on "anti-socialist culture," on the border with China, forcing karaoke rooms and other establishments featuring foreign content to shut down, according to sources familiar with Pyongyang.

The measure comes after the historic summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump in Singapore, June 12, following Kim's two separate summits with President Moon Jae-in.
The summits fueled speculation that the impoverished Kim regime's diplomacy could lead to a more open society.

"All state-run karaoke rooms have been shut down recently while authorities were strongly cracking down on private karaoke rooms," a source told Radio Free Asia.

It said the crackdown led secret karaoke rooms to operate underground.

Another source said people are perplexed by the sudden control over karaoke culture as well as foreign music and dance.

"North Korean residents have been expecting a big change since the North-South and North-U.S. summits," it said. "Residents are disappointed by the tightened control on foreign culture, as they believed a new era of peace and change would come."

The Kim regime is also closing down state-run restaurants where residents could sing and dance.

Moreover, the authorities are "ambushing" places people enjoy, and are sending those who are caught to labor camps, according to the third source.

It said people are continuing to seek out the entertainment

"People are aware that they would have a very hard time in the labor camps, but they still set up karaoke machines in secret places to sing and dance to capitalist music with close friends and neighbors, it said. "Even if the authorities try to tighten their control, it will not be easy to stop residents from enjoying foreign music and dance."

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