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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Unlocking North Korean songs on a karaoke machine
Karaoke is a uniting past time for North and South Korea, with noraebang commonly available throughout Pyongyang, and Video CDs long a ubiquitous commodity. It comes as little surprise then, that karaoke machines have made their way to Pyongyang. In this post, I take a look at the Tianchi v700, a Chinese karaoke machine that…
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Ministry of Public Health Launches a Website
North Korea’s Ministry of Public Health has opened a website on the global Internet. The site, at www.moph.gov.kp, is fairly basic in its content and was first reported by Yonhap News. It’s impossible to tell when the site first appeared. While articles on the site are dated from April 2019, it’s relatively trival to back-date…
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North Korean IT engineers working on artificial intelligence in China – UN report
Five IT workers from a company affiliated with North Korea’s Academy of National Defense Science began working at a Chinese construction company in 2019 on artificial intelligence products, according to the latest United Nations Panel of Experts report. The report said that three software developers and two hardware developers from “Nam Dae Cheon Trade Co.…
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Supreme People’s Assembly adopts a law on distance education
North Korea’s distance education system was one of the key topics discussed at last week’s session of the Supreme People’s Assembly with delegates passing a new law on tele-education. Details of the law haven’t yet been announced but it’s prominent inclusion as the second agenda item underlines the importance of the system that has been…
