Samjiyon tablet appears on Ebay
Nov 10th
A model of North Korea’s Samjiyon (삼지연) tablet is up for sale on Ebay.
It appeared on the morning on Thursday, November 7, and appears to have been listed by a Canadian account with a shipping location of Yanji in China. Yanji sits just across the border from North Korea.
Its appearance followed a second-round of publicity for the Samjiyon that coincided with a review published by 38 North.
The Android-based tablet debuted at an opening bid of $4.15 — a possible reference to April 15, the “Day of the Sun” holiday that marks Kim Il Sung’s birthday — and its price has been More >
Winter 2013/2014 radio broadcasts to North Korea
Nov 1st
The various public and private radio stations that aim broadcasts at North Korea have just refreshed their broadcast schedules for the winter season.
In addition to the publicly-funded outlets, there are several private stations. Their editorial balance at the stations differ although none are pro-regime stations. Some are jammed by North Korea making reception difficult — but not impossible — inside the country.
Given the right conditions, the broadcasts should be audible across a large part of Northeast Asia and, in some cases, around the world.
All times at UTC and all broadcasts in Korean unless noted.
== International Broadcasters ==
1200 to 1500 More >
UN to DPRK: Allow access to alleged prison camps
Nov 1st
The chair of the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea called this week on the country to allow them access to areas of North Korea that are said to contain prison camps.
Speaking at a news conference in New York on Tuesday, Michael Kirby said, “We have asked for the permission to go and visit North Korea, to engage with its people. We have pointed out that the best way to respond to the contention that the testimony which has been recorded in our public hearings is false, would be More >
KCNA adds higher resolution images
Oct 30th
This image appeared on the KCNA website on October 10 and is 400×276 pixels (click to enlarge)
Regular visitors to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) might have noticed something different about the site in the last few days. The North Korean state-run news agency has begun publishing higher resolution photographers alongside articles.
The change was first noted by Frank Feinstein, the New Zealand-based researcher who runs the KCNA Watch service.
The most recent images offered by KCNA are more than double the resolution of previous images at 900 pixels by 620 pixels. In the past they were a relatively low 400 pixels by More >
KCNA Watch attracts bans in North and South Korea
Oct 29th
How it should look: KCNA Watch viewed from an unrestricted Internet connection
KCNA Watch, a website that collects articles, pictures and video from the Korean Central News Agency, isn’t making friends on either side of the Korean border.
A communications regulator in South Korea has blocked access to the service while the North Korean government has restricted access to its services from New Zealand, apparently due to the way KCNA Watch collects its stories.
The South Korea block, which happened on Friday, was reported over the weekend by NK News. KCNA Watch currently operates as a part of NK News.
Visitors to the site More >
Voice of Korea schedule for winter 2013/2014
Oct 25th
Voice of Korea will switch to its winter 2013/2014 shortwave broadcasting schedule from October 27, 2013.
The broadcasts follow the same basic line-up each day.
:00 Opening signal, station identification: “This is Voice of Korea” :01 National Anthem :03 Song of General Kim Il Sung :06 Song of General Kim Jong Il :09 News, editorials (approx 15 minutes, but can be extended to full broadcast), followed by music :30 Reminiscences of Great Leader President Kim Il Sung of the century :40 Music and features :50 Editorial, special message (occasional) :55 Frequency information :57 Close
The Voice of Korea has traditionally refreshed these programs, More >
High-tech industrial park planned for Kaesong
Oct 19th
South Korean workers load computers into the back of a truck after returning from the Kaesong Industrial Zone, in this image from KBS TV on April 30, 2013.
The North Korean government appears to be planning a high-tech industrial park close to the current industrial park at Kaesong, on the North-South border.
No official announcement of the project had been made, but on Thursday the state-run Korean Central News Agency said several foreign companies would be investing on such a park.
The companies listed in the brief news article include Singapore’s Jurong Consultants, a building design and management company, and OKP Holdings, a construction More >
UK’s Channel 4 showing North Korea’s evening TV news
Oct 18th
As part of a season of programs and reports on North Korea, the U.K.’s Channel 4 is showing the main evening news from Korea Central Television with English translation.
The news bulletins are being carried on Channel 4’s website under the banner “North Korea Uncovered” and begin with the news from October 14.
“North Korea Uncovered: a rare chance to watch North Korean television news,” the caption for the first bulletin reads.
They are accompanied by other reports in the series including a look at the country’s first ski resort by Swiss journalist Marc Wolfenberger.
The daily newscast has been available online for several years through More >
Associated Press names new Pyongyang bureau chief
Oct 16th
Eric Talmadge, Pyongyang bureau chief for the Associated Press.
The Associated Press has named Eric Talmadge as the new chief of its Pyongyang bureau.
Talmadge was previously a news editor for the AP in Tokyo and also wrote on regional military and security issues. He is a long-time Asia correspondent for the New York-based newswire.
Most recently, he accompanied AP President and CEO Gary Pruitt on his four-day trip to Pyongyang. Talmadge filed the main story to come out of the trip, which was an interview with Kim Yong Nam, president of the country’s parliament.
With Talmadge’s appointment, previous bureau chief Jean Lee will move to More >
South Korea’s Internet only “partly free,” says Freedom House
Oct 12th
Despite living in one of the most wired societies in the world, South Korean Internet users enjoy a “partly free” Internet due to government censorship of content, according to the results of a global survey on Internet freedom.
Censorship of content, which includes many websites that carry North Korean content, has shot up in recent years.
The government’s own figures show 25,706 items were blocked in the first six months of 2013, compared to 39,296 sites in all of 2012. Five years ago in 2008, just 4,731 sites were blocked.
The censorship led Freedom House to score the country 32 points in its annual More >
