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  • The high price of KCTV in Seoul

    The high price of KCTV in Seoul

    The launch of 5G cellular networks in Seoul presented media outlets in the city with a problem: the frequencies used by the phone network overlap with a portion of the C-band satellite spectrum that includes a relay of Korean Central Television on the Thaicom-5 satellite. The phone signals are much stronger than the weak satellite…

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  • Chinese high-tech products on show in Pyongyang

    Chinese high-tech products on show in Pyongyang

    A new exhibition of Chinese high-tech products opened in Pyongyang on Monday, according to state media. The “International High-Tech Product Trade Fair” appears to be a new event having not been mentioned in state media under that name in previous years. The event is apparently being held in part to mark the 70th anniversary of…

  • North Korea denies it raised billions through cybercrime

    North Korea denies it raised billions through cybercrime

    Before it is even published, North Korea has come out swinging against an upcoming report by the United Nations Security Council’s Panel of Experts on North Korea. The report, which is expected to be published on September 6, alleges the country has generated about $2 billion from cybercrime and funneled the money into its weapons…

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  • Drone images used in state media coverage of missile test

    Drone images used in state media coverage of missile test

    When North Korean media reported on the August 24 launch of missiles it included something we hadn’t seen before: drone photos. Until now all photos of North Korean launches have been taken at ground level but this time among the package released by KCNA were several taken from the air. And in images of Kim…

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  • Telephone bill payment by Jongsong Card

    Telephone bill payment by Jongsong Card

    North Koreans can now pay their fixed-line telephone bills with the “Jongsong” (전성) payment card, state-run DPRK Today reports. Payments are made by dialing 136 on a telephone and connecting to a payment settlement service. The Jongsong card has been around since at least 2017. In January of that year it was profiled by the…

  • Twitter bans then reinstates North Korea-themed account

    Twitter bans then reinstates North Korea-themed account

    Twitter has reinstated the @coldnoodlefan account that was taken down two weeks ago. It reappeared on the site on August 15 with a post announcing its return but providing no details of the earlier ban or how it managed to return. The account has about 3,000 followers and strong North Korean links. NK News published…

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  • North Korea’s Koryolink: Built for Surveillance and Control

    North Korea’s Koryolink: Built for Surveillance and Control

    Internal meeting minutes reveal that state surveillance was the North Korean government’s top priority when designing the Koryolink mobile network in 2008.

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  • More changes for North Korean TV’s weather broadcast

    More changes for North Korean TV’s weather broadcast

    North Korean TV’s weather broadcast has started using updated graphics to accompany changes made a month earlier when it refreshed the presentation style. The changes this time are slight but point to further evolution of the evening news bulletin, which has started using more advanced computer graphics and infographics in some of its reporting. The…

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  • New graphics in regular use during North Korean TV’s economic news segments

    New graphics in regular use during North Korean TV’s economic news segments

    The new graphics introduced for just one day during North Korea’s TV news in March are making a comeback. Korean Central TV used a more modern production method in reports during its March 21 bulletin. It featured 3D graphics overlaid on video and more interesting camera shots, but the next day things were back to…

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  • Kim Chaek University ranks 8th in international programming contest

    Kim Chaek University ranks 8th in international programming contest

    Students from Kim Chaek University of Technology have finished in 8th position in the International Collegiate Programming Contest. The annual event pits students from the world’s top universities against each other writing computer programs to solve problems. It’s one of the few international events that North Korea takes part in and is a general guide to…

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