subject: North Korean Press [print this page] North Korean Press North Korean Press
We are aware that Korea is divided into two parts: South and North the latter practicing communism. In terms of media, there is a huge difference between the two. North Korea, officially called Democratic People's Republic of Korea, has used press to gain political control over the people. Media manipulated the press in order to portray positive images of North Korea. Statistics and other important information about North Korea are not comprehensively available due to a tight grasp on statistics of that kind.
Words are carefully chosen in order to deliver news to the people. Minju Choson is the official newspaper of the government while there are also available periodicals for the people under occupational groups like people working at the railways, military, and education. Only the senior party officials are allowed to gain access to new sources from other places. People who are not in that position are forbidden to read it. If they won't follow the rule, they will be punished with forced labor. Journalists from all over the world are not encouraged to go to North Korea unless they are invited. A very strong issue regarding starvation and crop failures is strongly denied by the government despite obvious facts. Calamities are not fully nor correctly reported so the external press must have to get the details from defectors.
During the term of President George W. Bush, he called North Korea as "evil", the official government press of North Korea started their attack on the president's credibility and revealed that the US is provoking Korean War. On the other hand, South Korea enjoys more press freedom. It has established a name when it comes to TV soaps and other forms of entertainment. It has become so famous and sought-after that it is called "Korean wave".
People read the newspaper with more than a hundred local and national dailies. Press in South Korea is usually very critical when it comes to the government. It is undeniable that South Korea is leading when it comes to digital revolution especially for high-speed and wifi internet. It is also the leader in mobile devices that can also function as a television. Online gaming is also not forgotten since it is a hobby across the nation.
At present, foreign press is allowed to be broadcasted in North Korea but as much as technology advancement is concerned, there's barely half a million TVs are available in the area while there is close to 5 million radios available but then only approved stations and programs are allowed to be aired. There are other small stations that air local programs to smaller communities though larger stations also exist to issue international news.
It is startling to know that North and South Korea have extremely different levels of freedom when it comes to the press. To know more about this, you would need to read articles in Korean so you will need to translate stuff. Visit Korean Translation to English
