Media
Voice of Korea on KPA nuclear statement
Apr 4th
The Korean People’s Army statement issued through KCNA on Thursday threatening nuclear weapons use in retaliation for any U.S. attack was repeated on the Voice of Korea shortwave radio program of the DPRK the same day, but it didn’t rank anywhere near the top news of the day.
Leading off the English-language newscast was details of the plenary meeting of the central committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea. The news then progressed to a number of new laws passed by the Supreme People’s Assembly. Item five on the nuclear weapons law might be of interest to some.
The army statement came More >
Voice of Korea mid 2013 full schedule
Apr 2nd
Voice of Korea switched to its mid-2013 broadcasting schedule as of March 31. A couple of days ago I published the frequencies for English-language programs based on my own monitoring, and now we have the full plan for all languages.
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 More >
Voice of Korea dumps own player, adopts Flash
Mar 26th
The website of Voice of Korea, the DPRK’s international shortwave radio service, has dumped its proprietary software player.
The site previously required use of the player by users to hear its audio clips posted online (see, right), but that’s not now the case.
Users can now listen with Flash, and that opens the audio up for the first time to Mac and Linux users. It also means that Windows users who were uneasy about downloading a North Korean software package onto their computers can now listen to the audio.
Users don’t have to download the linked Flash package. Flash can be downloaded from More >
Report: DPRK testing digital TV
Mar 17th
North Korea began digital TV broadcasting trials last year, according to a report published this week.
There were no other details of the tests included in the report, which was carried by the Korea Computer Center’s Naenara portal as part of an article on upgrades to the country’s telecommunications systems.
“On the basis of the trial introduction of digital TV broadcasting last year the ministry is working to lay the material and technical foundation for applying it stage by stage while developing programs and introducing facilities,” the report said.
State media isn’t believed to have reported on the trials in the past.
A switch More >
(Un)Covering North Korea
Feb 14th
Stanford University hosted a fascinating discussion on Monday that looked at the various ways in which the DPRK is covered from overseas.
Called “(Un)Covering North Korea,” it was part of a day-long series of events associated with the awarding of the 2012 Shorenstein Journalism Award to Barbara Demick, Beijing bureau chief for the Los Angeles Times, author of “Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea” and long-time North Korea watcher.
The discussion begins with Demick talking about her experiences covering the DPRK. She is followed by Susan Chira, assistant managing editor for news at the New York Times and a previous foreign editor at the newspaper, More >
Latest VOK broadcast on nuclear test
Feb 14th
A day after North Korea conducted its third nuclear test, the test was again in the news on Voice of Korea, North Korea’s international shortwave radio station, but it was far from the top story.
The lead item was a booklet published in Mongolia.
“Respected Kim Jong Un’s famous work, the great Kim Il Sung is the eternal leader of our party and our people was published in a booklet in Mongolia,” the announcer read out.
The nuclear test didn’t come until much later in the newscast, following items about an article about Kim Jong Un on a pro-North Korean website in the More >
Voice of Korea on nuclear test
Feb 13th
Here’s how North Korea’s international shortwave radio broadcaster, the Voice of Korea, announced news of the nuclear test in English.
Reception this morning was poor so the audio isn’t very clear. The music in the background isn’t an intended part of the broadcast, but appears to be the remenants of an old broadcast on the tape being used. If magnetic tape isn’t wiped well enough, such images of old recordings can remain in the background.
This was carried as part of the news bulletin.
http://www.northkoreatech.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/130212-vok-threats1.mp3And here’s a second mention of the nuclearized Korean peninsula. This is slightly longer and was broadcast at the More >
Ranking Eric Schmidt’s Pyongyang trip
Jan 12th
Google Chairman Eric Schmidt is back from Pyongyang. His visit made headlines around the world, but what about inside North Korea?
I took a look at the main 8pm evening news on North Korean TV to see where the visit ranked. Details of Eric Schmidt’s movements were reported on both Wednesday and Thursday.
Domestic news dominated the news both days, as it usually does. There were many items about workers across the country reacting to and supporting Kim Jong Un’s New Year address. The “Google delegation” news accounted for 30 seconds of the 10-minute bulletin on Wednesday, and 35 seconds of a More >
South Korea to continue analog TV near border
Dec 27th
Just days away from completing a nationwide switch from analog to digital television, South Korea has announced plans to continue analog TV broadcasting in border areas so that North Koreans don’t lose access to the signals.
Overseas radio and TV broadcasts are about the only free media available to North Koreans, although reception isn’t easy. Officially banned from receiving such transmissions, North Koreans typically have to modify reception equipment and listen or watch in secret.
It’s difficult to know the exact number of people who tune into South Korean broadcasts. The signals don’t reach deep into North Korea, but they are likely More >
North Korea launches radio program targeted at South
Dec 1st
North Korea launched a new radio broadcast targeted at South Korea on Saturday morning. The two-hour long “Echo of Unification” broadcast is expected to be broadcast three times a day and will go out over some transmitters that usually carry state radio programs.
Details of the broadcast were first made public on the Uriminzokkiri website, a China-based site with official ties to North Korea.
As can be seen from the graphic (below), the program broadcasts in the morning from 7am to 9am, in the afternoon from 1pm to 3pm, and in the evening from 9pm to 11pm.
The frequencies in use are shortwave More >
