In the lead up to the 7th Party Congress,
efforts to block the distribution of South Korean media were said to have
increased as the authorities stepped up screening activities at customs offices
and crackdowns in the markets. However, this appears to have had little overall
effect on preventing North Koreans from watching South Korean media via “notetel” devices, a colloquial name referring to small portable media players
manufactured in China.
“The Party Congress came and went, but
watching South Korean movies has become a part of our lifestyle,” a resident
from North Pyongan Province told Daily NK. “The more you prohibit people from
doing things, the more they resist. That’s human nature.”
“Crackdowns are nothing new, so even though
they came ahead of the Party congress this time, people were not particularly
concerned. In the past, it was common for people to watch things on their
mobile phones, but because law enforcement caught onto this trend, the demand
for notetel has increased.”
In the past, access to South Korean media
was only prevalent in larger cities like Pyongyang, but it has now spread throughout
rural locations as well. Media storage devices also differ in popularity
between urban and provincial audiences; whereas donjuLiterally "masters of money," donju refers to people who hav... More in the cities can afford
flash drives, poorer residents in the countryside opt for compact discs.
“South Korean thumb drives are both
expensive and illegal, so they are risky. On the other hand, Chinese flash
drives, are cheap [and legal], starting at around 50 RMB (65,000 KPW), which is
why they’re a little more popular,” a source in South Pyongan Province explained, adding that anyone
can “get their hands on everything from ‘notetel’ to flash drives and batteries
at electronics stalls within official general markets, provided they have the
money.”
The current notetel models available in
North Korea vary from laptop-sized devices to those with 6-inch screens, and
sell for between 400-600 RMB (520,000- 780,000 KPW). Members of the donjuLiterally "masters of money," donju refers to people who hav... More and
the general public make purchasing decisions based on the device’s screen size
and affordability.
Currently, the sale and use of notetel are
not prohibited by the authorities, but all notetel channels [television
channels, and radio channels, if applicable] must officially be fixed to state
settings, as ordered by the government in late 2014.
The compact devices offer greater ease for
enjoying contraband programming from south of the border, and have become
immensely popular. As such, they are increasingly considered a “household
asset” by North Koreans, a trend facilitated by their ease of use in a country
beset by chronic electricity shortages.
To power this growing trend, Chinese
motorcycle batteries are being imported by bulk, selling for 90-100 RMB
(117,000-130,000 KPW) at the official general markets. “People realize that as
long as they have a battery [which are increasingly being recharged with solar
panels], they can continue to enjoy South Korean media on their
notetel despite the highly unreliable electricity supply provided by the
state,” the source said.
