Censorship in North Korea
North Korea sits at one of the lowest places of Reporters Without Borders' 2024 Press Freedom Index,[1] ranking 177 out of the 180 countries investigated.
The government of Kim Jong Un still has absolute authority over and control of the press and information and has been repeatedly ranked one of the top 5 countries in the world with the least amount of media freedom.
According to Reporters Without Borders the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) restricts and controls the production and distribution of information while also prohibiting independent journalism.
[11] North Korea's biggest economic, political, and military aid under Kim Il Sung was the Soviet Union.
Joseph Stalin reportedly handpicked Kim Il Sung, who was a fluent Russian speaker, to lead North Korea in 1948.
The degree of censorship seen in North Korea today began with the nationalization of major industries, labor reforms, and the seizure of privately owned land.
[citation needed] The KCNA frequently publishes articles concerning "imperialism" from the United States and South Korea.
Despite only giving citizens access to hyper-militarized government propaganda, many cell phones and DVDs were obtained illegally under Kim Jong Il.
Kim Jong Il includes stories of his remarkable feats in this book, detailing a time when he saved a reporter from death and when he edited a writer's political essay to perfection.
Starting in the 1990s when famine overtook the country, traders used cell phones as a means to illegally bring food and goods across the border.
Users of Koryolink must apply for permission to subscribe and are “subject to controls and surveillance by at least eight ministries and organizations between the party, state and army.” The network does not allow any access to international calls.
[21] In 2013, foreigners were granted 3G mobile phone Internet access by monthly data plan; the service could be implemented via USB modem or SIM Card.
[20] Recently, with more government awareness of alternative access to external information, increased security measures to eliminate these resources have been enacted.
Text messages and cell phone photographs are sent to external journalists and activists in South Korea to spread knowledge of the conditions.
Prominent news accounts surrounding Kim Jong Un's ankle surgery and his wife, Ri Sol-ju's 2012 pregnancy were released from these insiders.
A tightly controlled cyberspace exists within the country where a small number of upper-class citizens have access to an intranet, called Kwangmyong.
Kim Jong Un continues his predecessors' rule and worked to consolidate power since becoming the supreme leader of North Korea on December 28, 2011.
[26] North Korean journalists must belong to the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and adjust their reportings to positively reflect Kim Jong Un's leadership.
[27] A U.S. State Department report noted that failure to follow strict guidelines as set forth by the WPK can lead to imprisonment, forced labor, or death.
Each layer of the government is structured to expel potential political threats and disseminate the ideology of Kim Jong Un, and those who attempt to circumvent censorship face steep consequences.
[28] Radio or television sets that can be bought in North Korea are preset to receive only the government frequencies and sealed with a label to prevent tampering with the equipment.
Additionally, songs heard on both televisions and radios are supervised to be based on praising communism and the party leaders, with the superstition that members of the Kim family are writing them.
[31][32] Up to one in two urban households own a Notel (also called Notetel), a portable media player made in China which has been popular in North Korea since about 2005 and was legalized in 2014 and has been credited with facilitating the extension of the "Korean Wave" (Hallyu, the increase of the popularity of South Korean pop culture internationally) into North Korea.
[33][34][35] As of 2011, USB flash drives were selling well in North Korea, primarily used for watching South Korean dramas and films on personal computers.
