The Supreme People’s Assembly this week unanimously approved the legislation on the “protection of the cultured language of Pyongyang,” the official Korean Central News Agency reported Thursday.

A “requirement of the development of socialist national culture” is to reject words that are not part of Pyongyang’s everyday language, according to a report issued by the legislature.

South Korean slang has reportedly gained traction in the North as more young people secretly watch TV dramas smuggled in from the South.

In 2020, North Korea enacted a law authorising the death penalty for distributing K-dramas. The new language law could trigger a tougher crackdown on the importation of South Korean culture.

The Supreme People’s Assembly has also adopted a 2023 budget that increases spending by 1.7%, according to KCNA. The share going to defense is held steady at last year’s 15.9%.

Economic development and raising the standard of living make up 45% of the new budget, the news agency reports. Rural and agricultural development spending rises by 14.7% over last year’s, while funding for “anti-epidemic” response amid the Covid-19 pandemic stays at the 2022 level, according to KCNA.

The news agency did not provide an account of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un addressing the legislature – a strong indication that he did not attend.