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How North Korean media covered the Inter-Korean summit
Many amazing sights unfolded at last week’s Inter-Korean Summit in Panmunjon, but one that struck me was the North and South Korean journalists that were running back and forth across the military demarcation line without hinderance. At any other time that kind of thing would be impossible, but journalists from both countries were given unprecedented…
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NGOs suggest mutual broadcasting of North, South TV
Prominent non-governmental organizations have sent South Korean President Moon Jae-in a joint letter ahead of his upcoming summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un containing proposals for issues that should be addressed. Most cover human rights, humanitarian aid and inter-Korean relations but one in particular caught my eye: Agree on mutual free and uncensored…
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Multi-channel TV reportedly expanding in North Korea
The Daily NK has a story today about what might be the expansion of cable TV in North Korea. The story says North Korean authorities have begun charging for access to Mansudae Television (만수대텔레비죤) outside of Pyongyang. Mansudae TV launched in December 1973 as North Korea’s third TV station and is on the air on…
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Olympics notes: No coverage yet on KCTV
With the second full day of competition ended at the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, North Korea’s KCTV has yet to feature any coverage. On Sunday, the broadcaster included several still images from Olympics competition in its news bulletin, but they were in the context of the attendance of Kim Yong Nam and Kim Jo Yong’s…
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How to watch North Korean TV live
A common question I get is whether it’s possible to watch North Korean TV live. There are several sources available with different levels of reliability and quality. Broadcasts begin at 3pm Pyongyang time on most days and run until around 11pm. On Sundays and public holidays, programming usually begins at 8am. News is broadcast at…
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Olympics notes: Will North Koreans get to watch the PyeongChang Winter Olympics?
With the PyeongChang Winter Olympics coming up, one of the issues for North-South discussion is television access for Korean Central Television. That because Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS), one of South Korea’s major TV networks, holds Olympics broadcasting rights for North Korea even though it doesn’t broadcast there. The rights for the 2018, 2020, 2022 and 2024…
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KCTV gets a widescreen, stereo upgrade
North Korea’s main TV channel, Korean Central Television (조선중앙텔레비죤), debuted a substantial technical upgrade on December 4 when it switched to widescreen, high-definition broadcasting. Until Monday, North Korean TV had broadcast via satellite to Asia on a high-definition, widescreen channel, but programming in that format appeared for only a few seconds at the start and end…
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North Korean TV YouTube channel terminated
YouTube has shut down one of the most popular Internet sources for clips from North Korean TV. The KoreanCentralTV1 channel was shuttered on Monday and visitors are now greeted with a message that reads “This account has been terminated for violating YouTube’s Community Guidelines.” The channel uploaded multiple videos each day, including clips from the evening…
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Korean Central TV output during the party congress (Updated)
Here’s an in depth look at the daily programming on Korean Central Television during the 7th Workers’ Party Congress.
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DPRK again second-to-last in press freedom ranking
The DPRK has again been ranked the second worst country in the world for press freedom. In a report that brings no surprises, Reporters Without Borders placed North Korea 179th in the world — better only than Eritrea. North Korea has consistently been at the bottom of the group’s annual press freedom ranking since it began…
