The North Korean YouTube List
It’s easier than ever to watch the latest video from North Korea thanks to a handful of YouTube channels that have sprung up in the last few years.
Here’s a list of some of the best North Korea-focused channels that I’ve found on YouTube, organized by their start date.
The views, subscriber numbers and video count are given as of March 9, 2013, and are intended to indicate their popularity.
Much of the fresh video comes from one of two sources: the KCNA state news agency or KCTV state television.
| Channel Name | YouTube user | Date started | Views | Videos | Subscribers | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DPRK Music | ANStasyuk | 1-Dec-10 | 11,722,793 | 286 | 1,629 | North Korean music, including clips from state TV |
| DPR of Korea Official | rodrigorojo1 | 26-Sep-07 | 7,599,004 | 2,612 | 4,764 | Supposed official channel. TV clips, travel video, music |
| StimmeKoreas | stimmekoreas | 22-Jul-10 | 5,473,269 | 1,532 | 4,878 | Assorted video, including state TV clips |
| Uriminzokkiri | uriminzokkiri | 14-Jul-10 | 4,959,350 | 5,695 | 6,107 | Semi-official channel from China-based site. Includes many clips from state TV |
| Mokran Video Channel | lollipopzam | 16-Jun-10 | 763,383 | 238 | 322 | Videos from North Korea’s Mokran, apparently unofficially uploaded |
| Tonpo Mail | tonpomail | 12-May-12 | 400,539 | 340 | 500 | Original videos and TV clips from North Korean-related newspaper in Japan |
| State TV, music and movies | tyrlop | 30-Aug-06 | 230,149 | 66 | 570 | Clips, including old video, about North Korea |
| Music from North Korea & KCTV Recordings | DPRKMusicChannel | 5-Mar-12 | 145,145 | 112 | 552 | North Korean music, including clips from state TV |
| DPRK Concert | dprkconcert | 14-Oct-11 | 130,710 | 24 | 344 | Small selection of North Korean singers |
| North Korea | northkoreavideos | 2-Jun-12 | 109,296 | 28 | 551 | New channel carrying KCNA clips with English subtitles |
| Squirrel and Hedgehog | dprksquirrels | 19-Jul-09 | 85,873 | 65 | 268 | DPRK’s Squirrel and Hedgehog cartoon, subtitled into English |
| KCNA Uploader | kcnauploader | 13-Jan-12 | 84,598 | 790 | 195 | Videos from KCNA news agency, automatically scraped from its site |
| Korea KFA | koreakfa | 1-Mar-10 | 68,756 | 30 | 444 | Old video and a Spanish-language address by KFA’s Alejandro Cao de Benos |
| Ming Kim | NorthKoreaManse | 9-Apr-12 | 41,800 | 86 | 145 | North Korean songs |
| Canal de EHkoKFA | EHkoKFA | 20-Dec-11 | 32,179 | 149 | 110 | KCNA clips with Spanish subtitles |
| DPRKmusic1 | DPRKmusic1 | 1-Apr-12 | 20,144 | 27 | 54 | North Korean songs |
These channels are still available but haven’t been updated in the last six months.
| Channel Name | YouTube user | Date started | Views | Videos | Subscribers | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DPRK Database | atiu88 | 28-Mar-06 | 3,479,220 | 371 | 961 | Many videos about North Korea |
| Chosun Music | chosunmusiccom | 20-Aug-08 | 1,818,176 | 267 | 652 | Music from North Korea |
| DPRK TV Radio | dprktvradio | 17-Feb-09 | 1,171,699 | 324 | 829 | North Korean TV clips, not updated for 2 years |
| Socialist Korea | socialistkorea | 14-Jan-11 | 39,938 | 6 | 284 | Small number of videos about North Korea |
| Korean Friendship Association | koreadpr | 15-Aug-07 | 38,346 | 7 | 104 | Handful of videos from the Korean Friendship Association |
It’s not all propaganda on YouTube. Here are four channels that offer videos with a slightly more analytical view of North Korea and the international issues surrounding the country.
| Channel Name | YouTube user | Date started | Views | Videos | Subscribers | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Korea Tech | northkoreatech | 17-Apr-12 | 335,981 | 48 | 96 | YouTube channel of this site! |
| NKEconWatch | nkeconwatch | 6-Jan-08 | 258,068 | 76 | 209 | Videos to accompany the NKEconWatch site |
| Adam Cathcart | adamcathcart | 9-Jun-08 | 31,462 | 95 | 40 | Analysis of North Korean issues |
| 38 North | 38northNK | 2-May-12 | 3,198 | 14 | 44 | From the U.S.-Korea Institute at SAIS |
And finally, just for the sake of the record, these channels existed in the September 2012 version of the chart, but had been removed from YouTube by the time the March 2013 survey was compiled.
| Channel Name | YouTube user | Date started | Views | Videos | Subscribers | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DPRK Movies | mvap1917 | 15-Dec-10 | 435,849 | 83 | 176 | North Korean movies with English subtitles |
| 1G9D8R3 | 1G9D8R3 | 27-Sep-12 | 43,953 | 217 | 51 | Many musical clips from the DPRK |
about 2 months ago
Ah darn! And I wanted to watch Basketball, on North Korea Sports channel. Pardon? They don’t have Sport of any kind?
Shucks!