Is North Korea Changing?

The secluded country North Korea appears to be changing in how it views itself and the rest of the world. 

Envoy Robert King said that because of the increasing popularity of mobile phones and news media, the communist country was forced to admit that it failed in its long-range rocket launch last April. King’s revelation was part of the study on North Korea, conducted by the State Department. 

‘A Quiet Opening: North Koreans in a Changing Media Environment’ takes a look on how media affects how North Korea views the world. The research studied hundreds of defectors and refugees from 2010 and 2011. 

Study findings showed that half of the country’s population has watched a foreign DVD with a quarter able to listen to foreign news radio. 

About one-third of the people, however, still get their news from state-run TV programs. The same statistics also modified their TV to get signal from other TV stations, specifically those near the South Korea and Chinese borders. 

Internet access remains elusive to majority of North Koreans and only key government and military officials can access the Internet. The study, however, revealed that the government’s tight control of information flow is receding. 

North Koreans still face harsh punishments for the slightest infractions. When one is caught watching South Korean soap operas or listening to news broadcasts from other countries, he faces years in prison and hard labor. 

The good news is that these appear to be enforced less. The study said that fellow citizens are not reporting others who may have violated these rules. 

Nathaniel Kretchun said the government can no longer rely with its citizens to turn each other in. Kretchun is the main author of the study.