A new study to be officially released on the morning of May 10th (EST) is set to show the extent to which foreign media is pervading the formerly closed North Korean society.

The study, conducted by research group InterMedia for the State Department, contains data derived from interviews with refugees, travelers and defectors from North Korea which paints a picture of how cell phones, USB sticks and other modern technological methods are being used to bypass the controls imposed on flows of outside information by the North Korean regime, and how that information that is now flowing across North Korea’s borders has the potential to change the awareness of the North Korean people.

"In 2012, North Koreans can get more outside information, through more types of media, from more sources, than ever before; and they are less fearful of sharing that information than ever before," the report, A Quiet Opening: North Koreans in a Changing Media Environment, explains.

“Positive perceptions of the outside world can call into question many of the North Korean regime’s most central propaganda narratives, which legitimate the regime by portraying it as the country’s protector from hostile outside forces,” its authors go on to explain, pointing to the importance of modern media in changing North Korean perceptions of the outside world.

There is an official launch ceremony for the report in Washington, DC today, featuring Marcus Noland of the Peterson Institute, journalist Martyn Williams and the U.S.’ special envoy for North Korean human rights issues, Robert King, in addition to principle report author Nathanial Kretchun.