DONATE
  • Health tips for PC use on state TV

    Health tips for PC use on state TV

    North Korean workplaces aren’t renowned for being particularly high-tech, but a new program on state television hints at increasing PC use and associated health problems. The program called “콤퓨터사용과 건강관리,” or “Computer Use and Health,” sets the scene by saying computer use is expanding but can bring unwanted health problems including eye strain, back and…

    , , ,
  • North Korea’s foreign propaganda set to play a more important role

    North Korea’s foreign propaganda set to play a more important role

    Among the plans and promises delivered during Kim Jong Un’s report to the just-concluded 8th Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) was a relatively minor reference that could spell big changes to the way North Korea tells its story overseas. “[The report] also referred to the need to frustrate the reactionary offensive of…

    , ,
  • Is North Korea finally getting 4G?

    Is North Korea finally getting 4G?

    It’s been 12 years since Koryolink began cellular service in North Korea. As the world begins moving to 5G, North Korean customers are still stuck on 3G technology, but that might be about to change. At the just-concluded 8th Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea, Kim Jong Un told delegates that the telecommunications sector…

    ,
  • North Korean stamps website appears

    North Korean stamps website appears

    With only a couple of days left before the end of 2020, North Korea has launched its latest website on the global Internet. The Korea Stamp site is operated by the country’s national stamp issuer to sell North Korean stamps to collectors worldwide. The site incudes a catalog of several thousand stamps dating back to…

    ,
  • Korean Central Radio testing digital broadcasting

    Korean Central Radio testing digital broadcasting

    The Korean Central Broadcasting Station (KCBS), North Korea’s main national radio station, has been testing digital radio again. In early December, broadcasts from the station using the DRM (Digital Radio Mondiale) format were received on shortwave. Compared to analog AM broadcasts, DRM signals are better quality but like all digital broadcasts there is little tolerance…

    ,
  • New laws will target mobile comms, foreign content

    New laws will target mobile comms, foreign content

    North Korea’s Supreme People’s Assembly discussed a handful of new laws on December 4 including one on mobile communications, state media reported on Sunday. The texts of the new laws have not been published so it’s difficult to ascertain exactly what they cover, but the Korean Central News Agency gave some hints on the issues…

    ,
  • New frequency for KCTV satellite broadcast

    New frequency for KCTV satellite broadcast

    There is a new frequency for direct reception of Korean Central Television via Intelsat 21. This is the feed that covers most of western Europe and the Americas. The station has moved as part of a general shift to clear frequencies for 5G cellular use in the United States. Had it not moved, there is…

    ,
  • Two interesting new Twitter accounts

    Two interesting new Twitter accounts

    Two new Twitter accounts have drawn the interest of North Korea watchers as they claim to be personally-run accounts by North Koreans that originate from Pyongyang. If true, they represent the first time individual North Koreans have had accounts on Twitter, but are they legit? It’s difficult to conclusively tell without access to the kind…

    , ,
  • We Interrupt this Propaganda…A Dynamic 24 Hours on North Korean TV

    We Interrupt this Propaganda…A Dynamic 24 Hours on North Korean TV

    On Wednesday, North Korea’s state TV channel Korean Central Television (KCTV) took the historically unprecedented step of broadcasting through the night as the storm Typhoon Bavi (Typhoon No. 8) approached the country. This follows a Tuesday executive policy council meeting of the Workers’ Party of Korea’s Central Committee where Kim Jong Un discussed the approaching…

    , ,
  • North Korea’s Foreign Propaganda Takes a Step Towards Modernity

    North Korea’s Foreign Propaganda Takes a Step Towards Modernity

    One of North Korea’s most popular YouTube channels has quietly removed video documentaries that idolize the life of Kim Il Sung, the father of the modern North Korean state. The surprising move—once considered unthinkable inside the country—is the latest step in an evolving strategy that is bringing North Korea’s overseas propaganda efforts into the 21st…

    , ,