
North Korea blasts K-pop industry as 'slave-like exploitation' amid crackdown on foreign media
CNN
North Korean propaganda website accuses K-pop record labels of exploiting bands like BTS and BLACKPINK -- likely part of a push by propagandists to crack down on foreign media.
Over the weekend, an article published by a North Korean propaganda website accused K-pop record labels of engaging in "slave-like exploitation" of hugely successful bands like BTS and BLACKPINK. The piece on North Korea's Arirang Meari site claimed K-pop artists were "bound to unbelievably unfair contracts from an early age, detained at their training and treated as slaves after being robbed of their body, mind and soul by the heads of vicious and corrupt art-related conglomerates."
5 things to know for March 16: War with Iran, Oscar winners, Travel chaos, Severe weather, US airmen
CNN’s 5 Things AM brings you the news you need to know every morning.

The retirement of Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin after nearly 30 years in office sparked an expensive three-way Democratic primary that has showcased the party’s divisions over how to confront President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown and introduced pro-crypto forces as an influence seeking to shape the midterm elections. The contest is also setting up a test of Gov. JB Pritzker’s political clout in the state as he eyes a potential 2028 presidential bid.

Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, grandson of former Cuban President Raúl Castro, appeared for the first time alongside Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel at two public events on Friday, raising questions, according to analysts, about his role in Cuba’s leadership as the island faces calls for regime change from the United States.










