North Korea media guide

A North Korean propaganda poster

Radio and TV receivers are pre-tuned to government stations that pump out a steady stream of propaganda.The press and broadcasters - all of them under direct state control - carry flattering reports about North Korea's leader. Economic hardships or natural disasters are not always reported. If they are, they are framed as a patriotic battle. Ordinary North Koreans caught accessing foreign broadcasts risk harsh punishments, such as forced labour. The authorities attempt to jam foreign-based and dissident radio stations. Some North Koreans sidestep these controls by using smuggled foreign DVDs and videos pre-loaded onto USB sticks. North Korea has a minimal internet presence. News agency KCNA and the party newspaper Rodong Sinmun are among a handful of official sites. Their output is aimed largely at audiences outside North Korea.There is a mobile phone service, but mobile internet access is severely restricted. Phone smuggling is said to take place on the border with China, using SIM cards that allow access to Chinese networks.Access to the global internet is only available among a small section of the ruling elite, and for foreigners. A closed intranet in urban areas allows access to some domestic websites and state-approved information."North Koreans can still be sent to a concentration camp for looking at an online media outlet based outside the country," says Reporters Without Borders. There were about 20,000 internet users in July 2022, comprising just 0.1% of the population - the lowest figure for internet penetration anywhere.

• Media guides by BBC Monitoring

Press

• Rodong Sinmun (Labour Daily) - organ of Korean Workers' Party; web pages in English

• Joson Inmingun (Korean People's Army Daily)

• Minju Choson (Democratic Korea) - government organ

• Rodongja Sinmum (Workers' Newspaper) - organ of trade union federation

Television and radio

• Korean Central Broadcasting Station - radio station of Korean Workers' Party

• Korean Central TV - TV station of Korean Workers' Party

• Mansudae TV - cultural station

• Voice of Korea - state-run external service, via shortwave radio; web pages in several languages

News agency/Online

• Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) - state-run; web pages in several languages

• Uriminzokkiri (On Our Own) - website carrying official news; pages in several languages