Kim Jong Un was meant to be their only idol - then North Koreans discovered K-pop
Growing up in a military family, Yeon-su was taught the South was the enemy. When she escaped, she tried to keep her distance from South Korean culture. But music found its way into her life.
She made it out in 2011, before BTS debuted, before K-pop became a global sensation. Now, even listening to it, or watching shows from the South, is a crime in North Korea that can land people in jail or worse.
Some like Yeon-su say
White House defends Argentina team over Falklands banner
Downing Street backed calls for Fifa to investigate the incident, with the prime minister's official spokesperson saying: "The World Cup might not be ours, but the Falkland Islands definitely are. Our commitment to the Falklands will never waver."
No 10 added that any potential action against Argentina players who unveiled the banner was "a matter for Fifa", but echoed the view of Business Secretary Peter Kyle that world football's governing body should investigate.
For its part, the government of the Falkland Islands said
Trump threatens to tariff Canada over wildfire smoke choking northern US cities
US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose new tariffs on Canada after hundreds of wildfires have left much of the northern US choked by a blanket of smoke.
The threat follows complaints by US lawmakers over the wildfires and Ontario's premier Doug Ford asking the US to send support to fight the fires, rather than complain.
"The United States is being unnecessarily invaded by filthy, polluted, and unhealthy air," Trump said, threatening to impose new levies over Canada's "willful negligence".
As of Friday
One anti-war critic fined, another held as Russia clamps down on opponents
Russian authorities have continued to clamp down on what little domestic opposition remains in the country by detaining a well-known blogger and moving to prevent a local politician from running for parliament.
Blogger Ilya Remeslo was a staunch supporter of Vladimir Putin until he staged a dramatic about-turn last March, calling the president a "war criminal and thief" and saying he should resign.
He has now been remanded in custody for two months on suspicion of spreading false information against the military.
Separately, Boris Nadezhdin has been convicted of
Many Ukrainian soldiers outraged over removal of defence minister, troops tell BBC
Stupak credits Fedorov with achieving something no-one would have imagined possible ten years ago: dragging the sclerotic, rigidly inflexible military into the digital world.
In his short time at the Ministry of Defence (he was only appointed in January), Fedorov pulled off a number of coups, including persuading Elon Musk to block Russian access to his Starlink satellite-based internet service.
The move is thought to have caused havoc among Russian front-line positions, helping Ukrainian forces to halt and even repel Russian advances.
There have
Magnitude 7.3 earthquake quake strikes off Mexico coast
A powerful magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck off the coast of southern Mexico on Friday, triggering a tsunami warning for parts of the Pacific.
No fatalities or significant damage have been reported in Mexico or Guatemala from the quake, which was also felt in El Salvador.
Mexico's navy secretary Admiral Raymundo Morales told a press conference that there was "no serious impact", but that people were being advised to stay away from beaches.
The US Tsunami Warning System had warned of possible " hazardous tsunami waves" along the
EU proposes slowing down cuts to carbon emissions for businesses
The European Union has unveiled proposals that would slow cuts to businesses' greenhouse gas emissions limits, as part of a major climate policy overhaul.
The reforms would relax the rules of the bloc's emissions trading system (ETS) to give businesses more time to reduce their carbon output than previously planned.
The changes would mean some industries could obtain emission allowances until 2038 instead of 2034, if they commit to investing in decarbonisation efforts.
The proposals still need to be approved by EU countries and
Second tanker in three months hijacked off Yemen by suspected Somali pirates
Pirates have hijacked a tanker in the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Yemen, according to a UK maritime safety organisation (UKMTO) and Somali security officials.
The UKMTO said a "vessel was boarded by unauthorised personnel" as it sailed east, adding that other ships were "advised to transit with caution". Officials from Somalia's semi-autonomous Puntland region said the attackers were Somali.
This is the second hijacking of a vessel off the coast of Yemen since May, when the MT Eureka was seized near
Air conditioner sparked deadly blaze at children's orphanage - police
Algeria is experiencing an intense summer heatwave with firefighters also battling several wildfires across the north of the country.
News of the orphanage fire has shocked and outraged many.
"May God have mercy on them," the civil defence unit said as it announced the death toll on Thursday, several hours after the blaze began.
President Tebboune said in a statement: "It is with a heart resigned to the will of God that I learned of the death of children and the injury of others."
The authorities said five children
Timelapse shows World Cup final stadium nearly vanish in smoky haze
More than 800 wildfires are burning across Canada, with air quality alerts now extending south into multiple US states.
In western regions of New York, the air quality on 16 July was considered "very unhealthy", while in the New York City metro area the air quality is "unhealthy". Many across the city - the most populous across the US - were wearing masks over their mouths and nose hoping to protect themselves.
A thick haze of smoke blocked views across the New York City region including MetLife