Even after North Korea imposed tougher punishments for viewing and distributing foreign videos with its adoption of the anti-reactionary thought law in December 2020, South Korean television shows such as “Crash Landing on You,” “Penthouse” and “Squid Game” remain popular with North Koreans.
A survey has found that despite the authorities’ tighter grip on public media access, North Koreans continue to consume TV shows, movies and news produced in South Korea and other countries.
The Unification Media Group (UMG) held a seminar at the South Korean press center, in the Jung District of Seoul, on the afternoon of Oct. 18, about its fact-finding survey of North Korean consumption of foreign information and the North Korean media environment in 2022.
“We carried out this survey to learn more specifically what information North Koreans need, what information they’re currently consuming, and how they’re accessing it,” said Lee Kwang-baek, president of the UMG and Daily NK, during his opening remarks at the seminar.
“Since this survey was directly carried out on current residents of North Korea, we expect it will be of genuine assistance in ascertaining the media environment in North Korea,” he added.
Lee Sang-yong, vice president of Daily NK, presented the results of the fact-finding survey on the North Korean media environment in the first part of the day’s seminar.
“When North Koreans were asked in this survey whether they’ve heard about people being punished or been punished themselves [for media consumption] since the adoption of the anti-reactionary thought law, 88% of respondents said they have. Nevertheless, 96% also said that they’ve viewed videos from South Korea or other foreign countries,” Lee said.
“That shows that North Koreans’ desire for foreign information has not diminished even though the government’s controls on the public were considerably tightened by the adoption of the anti-reactionary thought law,” he added.
Lee Kwang-baek spoke during a discussion on press freedom and on the free consumption of information by North Koreans that was held in the second part of the seminar.
“North Koreans today, in 2022, are using a greater variety of media devices than they were in the 2019 survey. In particular, we found their use of USB flash drives and micro-SD cards has greatly increased. That shows that while the North Korean government is tightening its media policy, the North Korea media environment is changing and developing,” he said.
“Considering that 79% of North Korean survey respondents said they view foreign videos at least once a month, providing the North Korean public with diverse foreign media should help satisfy North Koreans’ demand for foreign information. We need to send information into North Korea more actively in the future,” Lee stressed.
“Punishment for consuming foreign content has become much tougher under Kim Jong Un, but the public’s desire for consuming foreign information has not decreased. We need strategic ways of reducing that risk by diversifying the distribution channels by which foreign information reaches North Koreans,” said Jieun Baek, a researcher on technology and human rights in North Korea at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School. Baek participated in the discussion virtually from the US.
Along with providing various information to facilitate North Koreans’ free access to information from the wider world, Baek said, we also need to find creative ways to keep North Koreans from falling victim to punishment by the authorities.
Sokeel Park, South Korean country director for Liberty in North Korea (LINK), an NGO, also took part in the discussion.
“It’s important not only to share various information with North Koreans, but also to help them use that information safely. We need to support the development of ways to completely delete content after it’s been consumed and to prevent the authorities from tracking it,” he suggested.
Others voiced the need to boost broadcast signals for radio, a more traditional form of mass media.
“North Koreans’ usage of radio hasn’t noticeably increased, yet radio is the medium that continued to provide them with practical information despite COVID-19. Radio deserves greater attention, and greater investment,” said Martyn Williams, head of North Korea Tech, who also participated virtually from the US.
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