[imText1]An inside source said that North Korean citizens have been taking advantage of DVD players that are legally sold in North Korea as a means of watching Korean dramas, and regulating this practice has been a headache for the authorities.
The North Korean authorities determined that it is difficult to physically prevent the influx of VCD and DVD players into the country. So they began bringing in VCD and DVD player parts from China in 2004 so that North Korean citizens could only acquire DVD players actually assembled by North Korean electronics companies.
Low-price VCD players that are popular among average citizens have been regulated and DVD players have only been provided to the wealthy class and to high officials so that the people can only watch legal pictures produced by the state.
The source relayed, however, that these measures have been ineffective. Even with the North Korean electronics company logos, the legalization of DVD players has allowed a means for not only the North Korean upper-class but for civilians as well to watch South Korean dramas and foreign movies more actively. Contrary to party expectations, the increase in sales of North Korean-assembled DVD players has only made inspections more difficult.
The source said, “After installing several copies of legal DVDs produced domestically in preparation for inspections without advance notice, North Korean citizens secretly watch South Korean dramas bought in the black markets. With the number of legally sold DVD players increasing and the continuous increase in Korean drama viewers, inspections have become increasingly difficult.”
He said, “Expensive DVD players that have been legally acquired by civilians cannot be recalled, so the state cannot do much.”
Among North Korean citizens, in comparison with VCDs which were the craze in the past, DVDs have become so popular lately.
The source said, “From early 2003, moderately-priced VCD players were extremely popular, but the trend has been shifting. Now, among North Korean citizens and especially with the growing affluent class, large-capacity, high-quality DVDs are popular and more people are buying DVDs from the black market.”
