Room 79 of the General Political Bureau’s Publishing Censorship Department recently initiated a sweeping crackdown on what it calls the “invasion of foreign culture” in the North Korean military, Daily NK has learned.
Speaking on condition on anonymity for security reasons, a Daily NK source in an unidentified area of North Korea said on Nov. 8 that Room 79 censorship officials sat for a three-day lecture series held from Nov. 2 to Nov. 4.
Room 79 of the Publishing Censorship Department is a specialized division under the General Political Bureau, which serves as the internal politburo of the Korean People’s Army. Room 79 monitors the registration and use of the military’s media players and conducts regular and unannounced inspections.
“During the lecture, the General Political Bureau of the Korean People’s Army informed the participants about inspections, crackdowns and punishments in regards to the foreign cultural invasion that occurred in Korean People’s Army units during the winter training period from Dec. 1, 2022, to the end of March this year, and the summer training period from July 1 to the end of September. The burea designated November and December as an intensive inspection period [with a view to eliminate] foreign culture in Korean People’s Army units,” the source said.
During the lecture, the General Political Bureau explained how soldiers were caught listening to foreign broadcasts on homemade, unregistered radios on bases and at their private residences during this year’s winter exercises, and warned that the military would thoroughly root out this behavior during the intensive inspection period.
“The General Political Bureau said that there were many instances of newly appointed officers and technical officers responsible for repairing the military’s communication equipment pilfering supplies and parts to make unregistered homemade radios that they either use themselves or distribute to the homes of other soldiers,” the source said. “The bureau ordered the elimination of soldiers listening to [foreign] radio broadcasts, a capitalist poison even stronger than [consuming] videos or publications.”
During the lecture, the General Political Bureau pointed to the example of a Lt. Col. Kim and First. Lt. Jeon, who served at a communication equipment repair base for the headquarters of the Fourth Corps in Haeju, South Hwanghae Province. The pair allegedly built dozens of radios that they then sold to commanders and soldiers.
They were punished when family members of Fourth Corps soldiers were caught using the radios to listen to foreign broadcasts.
“At the three-day lecture, the General Political Bureau called on Room 79 censorship officials to focus their attention during the intensive inspection period on [cracking down on] soldiers’ possessing homemade radios and other unregistered electronics,” the source said.
“Censorship officials initiated the crackdown on Nov. 5, starting with unannounced inspections of the homes of soldiers’ families, the offices of military-affiliated trading agencies and the homes of their employees. Inspections of military bases will begin from December.”
The source said Room 79 is now focused on determining whether all the military’s tablet computers and office and home desktop computers are registered, regularly inspected and properly used, and are tracking down problematic entities and individuals.
While censorship officials move forward with their crackdown on unregistered devices, the authorities are also expected to conduct inspections of joint venture corporations that produce media players and the command posts and electronic service centers of military-affiliated trading companies that sell or supply parts for those players.
Translated by David Black. Edited by Robert Lauler.
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