From the Chosun Ilbo: N.K. Prison Camp Musical Falls Foul of Seoul Officialdom

A planned musical about human rights abuses in North Korea’s Yoduk concentration camp has run into massive obstacles, not least from [South Korean] officials fearful of upsetting the Stalinist country.

South Korean government agencies are demanding changes to the story, which they say dwells too heavily on the negative aspects of the camp, according to producers. Officials also allegedly invoked the National Security Law to warn producers against showing a portrait of former leader Kim Il-sung and the singing of North Korean songs in the show…

“Yoduk Story” focuses on a camp where 20,000 inmates work more than 14 hours a day living on just one bowl of cereal and a spoonful of salt. Those who try to escape are executed by hanging or stoning because the authorities do not want to waste bullets killing them… “After reading our script, government officials demanded that we change part of the story, saying it’s too much…” (emphasis added)

South Korean officials say the story “dwells to heavily on the negative aspects” of a gulag/concentration camp! Government officials have also reportedly pressured sponsors to withhold funding the production, hoping to kill it.

Cast of “Yoduk Story,” currently being suppressed by the ROKG

The Roh administrations policy for ignoring defectors is not going unnoticed, and the plight of North Korean refugees is well known. Perhaps the U.S. should sanction South Korea for human rights issues, and proceed to follow stronger policy that would accomplish what many defectors want; take down North Korea.

H/T to Mingi.

UPDATE: OneFreeKorea has extended coverage on this issue.
UPDATE: From the Nakdong to the Yalu (a.k.a. the Marmot) has his say.