KCNA refreshes its website
Dec 4th
The Korean Central News Agency website that appears to be hosted from inside North Korea has been given a redesign. The new page has a fresher feel and makes much more use of pictures than the previous site, which was first discovered in early October.
Also new is the addition of Korean-language articles to the previously-available English and Spanish news.
The front page includes an image, the day’s headlines and links to seven category menus. I had problems with some of the links and the menus when accessed via Firefox, but they function with Internet Explorer.
It still has to be accessed via an More >
A look at Kim Il Sung University’s computer labs
Nov 26th
The visit of group of Chinese graduates of Kim Il Sung University to their alma mater has provided a chance to see some of the computer labs in the establishment.
Coverage of the visit was carried by both KCNA and state television, which broadcast a 40-second report on November 25th.
I’ve posted some stills from the TV report below. They show what appears to be a modern, well-equipped classroom with numerous flat-screen computer monitors and keyboards.
This shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. Kim Il Sung University is the DPRK’s top place of learning and a computer science school was established there More >
Voice of Korea on Yeonpyeong shelling
Nov 24th
The Voice of Korea, the DPRK’s international shortwave radio service, broadcast on Nov. 24 its first report in English on the shelling of Yeonpyeong island.
The shelling occurred on the afternoon of Nov. 23 and the radio report comes 24 hours after a similar report was carried in English on the Korea Central News Agency wire.
The lateness of the report highlights the Voice of Korea’s rigid daily programming, which changes only once per day.
The report is very similar to the KCNA bulletin, although there are differences. It’s either been rewritten for radio delivery or been translated from the original Korean by More >
Distance education network reportedly launched
Nov 17th
In mid November the North Korean state media carried stories about the inauguration of a new distance-learning network. The reports expand on a brief bulletin issued in early October about the start of an “online lecture” service.
The network is based at the Grand People’s Study House in Pyongyang and connects to centers of learning throughout the country, including local people’s study houses, libraries, scientific centers and educational institutions, according to the reports.
The distance-learning application works on any operating system, said KCNA. That most likely points to a Web-based application, but it could also mean a more complex set-up based on Java More >
Koryolink Q3 2010 results
Nov 9th
Third-quarter financial results for Koryolink have been announced by majority-owner Orascom Telecom and what a quarter it was! The network managed record growth and revenue, thanks largely to network expansion.
Koryolink is North Korea’s only 3G cellular network and is operated by CHEO Technology, a joint venture in which Orascom holds 75 percent and the state run Korea Posts and Telecommunications Co. holds the remainder.
I covered the headline figures in this article at PC World: Koryolink Logs Big Jump in North Korean Cell Phone Users.
Here, I’d like to look a little bit more closely at the numbers.
Quarterly revenue hit a record More >
North Korea gets a new PDA
Nov 5th
North Korean shops have begun selling a new PDA (personal digital assistant), according to the blog of a Russian studying in the country.
The Pyongyang Show and Tell blog, which also introduced us to Red Flag Linux, has some pictures of the PDA and a few technical specs.
It appears to be very much in the style of the PDAs or multimedia players that were popular in the early to mid part of the last decade. There’s no branding on the case that’s visible from the images.
I contacted the student, who doesn’t want to be identified, and asked him a little bit More >
Voice of Korea English B10 schedule
Nov 5th
Voice of Korea, the DPRK’s international shortwave broadcasting service, is on the air everyday in several languages. The English language broadcasts appear to be refreshed during the day (local time) with each programming cycle beginning with the evening broadcast and then getting repeated overnight.
The news output is similar to the English-language stories from KCNA, but there is minor editing. It’s generally a day behind the news being put out on the domestic service in Korean.
Each program is about 55 minutes long.
The English-language broadcast schedule for winter 2010 (period B10) is:
0100 GMT (10am local) to North East Asia on 7200kHz, 9345kHz More >
Korean Central Broadcasting Station
Nov 3rd
The Korean Central Broadcasting Station (KCBS) (Korean: 조선중앙방송, Chinese: 朝鲜中央放送, Japanese: 朝鮮中央放送) is the main domestic radio network in the DPRK. It sits under the Central Broadcasting Committee of the DPRK (called the Radio and Television Committee of the DPRK until 2009).
KCBS broadcasts from 5am to 3am local time via a network of mediumwave and shortwave transmitters that cover the nation. The powerful transmissions can easily be heard in neighboring countries, including South Korea where some of its frequencies are jammed.
It is also relayed at certain times via the Voice of Korea, the DPRK’s international shortwave service.
A central program is More >
How digital technology helps get news from North Korea
Nov 2nd
Today I had the chance to meet and hear Jiro Ishimaru of AsiaPress speak at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan. He was there to talk about how the Japanese news agency manages a small network of North Koreans who report from inside the country and smuggle out images and video.
The network is fascinating to hear about, as are Ishimaru’s stories about information flow both ways across the Chinese border.
Some snippets:
- Most young people in major cities have seen South Korean TV dramas.
- The dramas are recorded in China from satellite broadcasts and appear quickly in local markets.
- They are smuggled into North Korea, More >
2010 National Program Contest
Nov 1st
The 21st National Program Contest was opened on Thursday, according to state media. The annual event is a showcase for the latest computer software developed in the DPRK and sees prizes awarded in several categories.
This year they included 15 areas of research including “system and security, man-made intelligence and processing of Korean language information,” reported the official Korea Central News Agency.
In the past KCNA has typically reported some of the software on display at the exhibition and even named some programs, but this year its report was unfortunately lacking in such details. The closest it got was reporting the display More >
