'%3E%3Cpath%20stroke='%23000'%20stroke-width='4'%20d='m-35-37-13%2020m5%203%2013-20m5%203-13%2020m63%2042%206-9m1-2%206-9m5%203-6%209m-1%202-6%209m5%203%206-9m1-2%206-9m-96%200%2013%2020m5-3-6-9m-1-2-6-9m5-3%2013%2020m63-42-6-9m-1-2-6-9m5-3%2013%2020m5-3-6-9m-1-2-6-9'/%3E%3Ccircle%20r='24'%20fill='%23cd2e3a'/%3E%3Cpath%20fill='%230047a0'%20d='M0%200a12%2012%200%201%201%2020%2013%2024%2024%200%201%201-40-26A12%2012%200%201%200%200%200'/%3E%3C/g%3E%3C/svg%3E){kind=small}
-
·
Kim Jong Il’s death – monitoring North Korean TV and radio
The news of Kim Jong Il’s death has all eyes focused on the Asian nation. Unlike many other countries, there’s only a handful of official news outlets and getting direct access can be difficult. North Korean TV (KCTV) can be watched live through the Thaicom 5 satellite throughout Asia, the Middle East, Africa and some…
-
·
KCTV live stream down, more on SPTV
The live stream of North Korea’s KCTV, reported here last week, is currently down. Seoul-based Unification Broadcasting apparently took it offline after a flood of traffic prompted by a South Korean media report on the service. That report was triggered by the posting here. The stream has apparently been available for sometime but the address…
-
·
North Korean TV currently live streaming
North Korea’s main television propaganda mouthpiece is currently available over the Internet. The live stream of Korean Central Television appears to be originate from a South Korean web site — something that puts the site operator in potential violation of South Korea’s National Security Law. Korean Central Television broadcasts nationwide to North Korea and is relayed…
-
·
KCNA to launch Chinese news service
North Korea’s official news agency and chief propaganda outlet, Korea Central News Agency, will start a Chinese news service this week. The launch of the service on December 1 comes less than a year after KCNA began distributing news in Japanese and makes 2011 a year of major expansion for KCNA. KCNA’s output of flattering articles…
-
·
Koryolink sponsors Taekwondo championship
This week’s earnings report for Koryolink, North Korea’s only widely available cell phone service, highlighted something I missed back in September: the company was a major sponsor of the 17th Taekwondo World Championships. The event took place in Pyongyang from September 6th to 12th. Koryolink banners were strung around the Taekwando Hall where the international…
-
·
Koryolink surpasses 800,000 3G subscriptions
North Korea’s nationwide 3G cellular network could miss an end-of-year target to have a million subscribers despite two successive quarters of record subscriber growth. Koryolink added 142,000 subscriptions in the third quarter, beating the 131,000 subscriptions added in the previous three months, to end September with 809,000 users. That leaves it 191,000 subscribers short of hitting a…
-
·
Nautilus on DPRK’s digital revolution
The Nautilus Institute contends in a new report that North Korea is on the cusp of digital transformation thanks to the increasing importance of cell phones and computers in the country. The report, which is available online (PDF), is a comprehensive and well-researched history and study of the emerging digital communications business in North Korea and…
-
·
Voice of Korea B11 schedule
North Korea’s international shortwave broadcaster, the Voice of Korea, will use the following schedule for English language broadcasts from October 31, 2011, until late March 2012. The programs appear to be refreshed during the local Korean day with each programming cycle beginning with the 1000 GMT broadcast. The news output, which has not been observed to…
-
·
National Program Contest underway in Pyongyang
The annual National Program Contest began on Thursday in Pyongyang, according to North Korean media reports. The event, which typically takes place in late October each year, opened at the city’s Three Revolution Exhibition Hall with speeches led by Ro Tu Chol, vice-premier of the DPRK Cabinet. The contest brings together scientists, programmers and students with…
-
·
B11 schedule for Japan’s broadcasts to North Korea
The two Japanese broadcasts that target North Korea, Shiokaze and Furusato no kaze, are updating their broadcast schedules to the winter (B11) period that runs from October 30, 2011 to March 25, 2012. Shortwave radio remains a vitally important way to reach into North Korea because of the total lack of international communications offered to…