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AP hopes to open Pyongyang bureau in early 2012
The Associated Press expects to finalize plans this week to open a news bureau in Pyongyang. A team from the U.S.-based news organization is currently in the North Korean capital negotiating the details of the bureau, which AP President Tom Curley said he hopes will be open in early 2012. Curley told South Korea’s Yonhap…
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Koryolink sees another record quarter
Koryolink, North Korea’s only 3G network operator, added a record number of subscribers in the second quarter of 2011, but the company will have to push harder if it’s to reach a million users by the end of the year. The company ended the quarter with 666,517 subscribers, according to Orascom Telecom. Egypt’s Orascom holds…
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Koryo Tours hits out at South Korean web block
Koryo Tours, the Beijing-based travel agent that specializes in tours of North Korea, says South Korea has “over reacted” in blocking its website since the beginning of this year. The websites koryotours.com and koryogroup.com have been unavailable from South Korean Internet connections since January 26 this year, apparently a casualty of South Korea’s campaign to…
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Kim Jong Il visits ‘LCD TV factory’
North Korean state media has reported on a visit by Kim Jong Il to the “May 11 Factory,” which it described as “a modern scientific research and production center which researches and develops varieties of electronic goods including liquid crystal display TV sets.” The KCNA report mentioned the LCD televisions several times and was accompanied…
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AP kills KCNA photo, says it was altered
Hot on the heels of agreements between Korean Central News Agency and both The Associated Press and Reuters to more widely distribute KCNA video, The AP has withdrawn a KCNA photo saying it’s not what it appears to be. The photo, below, was distributed to AP members and customers on July 16 and purports to…
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KCNA video in demand by foreign agencies
Two recent deals with western news agencies stand to put Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) video in front of millions of viewers. The deals, with The Associated Press and Reuters, give each agency the ability to redistribute KCNA footage to TV stations around the world as part of their video news service. Such deals are…
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AP, Reuters battle for Pyongyang bragging rights
Pyongyang is suddenly the hottest place to have a newsroom. In the space of two weeks, both The Associated Press and Reuters have announced plans to source more content from inside the country. The AP has signed a memorandum of understanding (which typically precedes an official deal) on the establishment of a text and photo…
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Internet, mobile phones eyed for Mt. Kumgang
North Korea plans to allow Internet access and the use of mobile phones by visitors to the Mount Kumgang tourism zone. Visitors are typically relieved of their mobile phones when entering North Korea and public Internet access is not available inside the country. But the country is establishing a special tourism zone around Mount Kumgang,…
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North Korea behind March web attacks, says McAfee
North Korea or parties closely tied to the country were almost certainly behind the March cyber attacks that took down several South Korean websites, according to a report from computer security company McAfee. The report contains a detailed analysis of the attacks and how they were carried out. Working with the governments of both South…
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Philippines donates computers to Pyongyang school
The Philippines donated a laptop PC, a desktop computer and a printer to a school in Pyongyang last week, the country’s Department of Foreign Affairs said Wednesday. The gift was handed to Pyongyang Kaeson Middle School by Philippines Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Policy Erlinda F. Basilio. She was in in Pyongyang for scheduled talks with…
