North Korea is stepping up punishments and intensifying a crackdown based on the anti-reactionary thought law adopted at the end of last year. The law seems to have strengthened the authorities' repression and control over citizens in the country.
According to a source in North Pyongan Province, a teenage boy who was caught watching pornography at his home in Sinuiju earlier this month has been exiled to the countryside along with his parents. The teenager was watching a pornographic
video late at night when his parents were not at home. He was caught during a surprise inspection by a task force created to monitor deviant behavior. Article 29 of the new law calls for sentences of five to 15 years of correctional labor
for consumption or possession of pornographic videos or books, photos or drawings that preach superstition. Individuals who produce, import or distribute such materials may get life sentences of correctional labor or even the death penalty, depending on
the quantity of the material. However, it appears that because the anti-reactionary thought law does not prescribe punishment regulations for adolescents, the punishment was set to deportation instead of correctional labor. Articles 34-38 of the
law stipulate fines of KPW 100,000 to 200,000 if a reactionary thought crime occurs due to the irresponsible education of children and orders the entire family to move to the countryside as punishment for the parents. | 
