2!$)/ TELEVISION .%73! RADIO INTERNET .%730!0% 2!$)/INTERNET .%73!'%.#94%,%6)3) INTERNETRADIO TELEVISION INTERNET NEWSPAPE ).4%2.%4 ).4%2.%4 NEWSAGENCY 4%,%6)3)/. INTERNET TELEVI INTERNET NEWSPAPERRADIO NEWSAGENCYRADIO RADIO INTERNET 2!$)/ TELEVISION .%730!0%2 2!$)/ NORTH KOREA Journalism in the service of a totalitarian dictatorship Fact-fi nding mission By Vincent Brossel

October 2004 Reporters Without Borders International Secretariat Asia - Pacifi c Desk 5, rue Geoffroy Marie 75009 Paris-France Tel. (33) 1 44 83 84 70 Fax (33) 1 45 23 11 51 E-mail : [email protected] Web : www.rsf.org NORTH KOREA Journalism in the service of a totalitarian dictatorship the singleparty, benefi Are themedia, whicharestillcontrolledby What doesthismeanforpressfreedom? have even talkedofa “Pyongyang spring.” opening. Someinternationalnews media programme, someobservers seeacautious intransigence aboutitsnuclearmilitary international crisislinkedtoPyongyang’s any ray ofhopethere. Nonetheless, amidan dom forthepastthreeyears. Itishardtosee king ofcountriesby respectforpressfree- Reporters Without Bordersworldwide ran- – NorthKorea –hasbeenplacedlastinthe The DemocraticPeople’s Republic ofKorea sung andKimJong-il personalitycult. fi troops,” asthey arecalledinthewarlike of- North Korean news media– “Kim Jong-il’s in SouthKorea. The solepurposeofthe Korean TV journalistwhoisnow arefugee making amistaken.” SosaidaformerNorth lutionized,” thatis tosay re-educated, for other journalistslikemehave been “revo- the lastsyllableofKimJong-il. Dozensof work onapig farm, for forgetting towrite “I was punishedforsixmonths, forcedto rean socialism. Third isdenouncingimpe- demonstrating thesuperiority ofNorthKo- his sonKimJong-il. Secondplacegoesto blicising thegreatnessof KimIl-sungand categories ofreporting. The priority is pu- for thework ofthemedia. There arefour plan,” which establishesastricthierarchy to adherethe “permanent information university inPyongyang, studentslearn At thejournalismschoolofKimIl-sung sonality cult News mediagivenovertotheper- lists andhumanrightsorganisations. Korean journalists, SouthKorean specia- 2004 toseekinformationfromformerNorth ding missiontoSouthKorea inSeptember Reporters Without Borderssentafact-fi Korea? the policyofrapprochementwithSouth mic reformslaunchedby KimJong-il and cial terminology–istoserve theKimIl- ting fromtheecono- n- Granma lege inthepast10years aretheCubandaily Among thevery few tohave hadthisprivi- reign pressandrarely gives interviews. time, he hasvery littlecontactwiththefo- the disciplesofKimilsungism.” At thesame and “the supremeandunrivalled model for star ofjuche,” “the artisanofKimilsungism” successor oftheGreatLeader,” “the guiding such obsequiousmetaphorsas “the sole Offi ty’s missionandcapitalism’s weakpoints. ideas about “juche” (self-reliance), thepar- Workers’ Party newspaper expounding his Kim Jong-il oftenwriteseditorialsforthe about theway tofi journalists have very strictinstructions clearly delightsinthemediapomp. TV Like hisfatherbeforehim, KimJong-il Pyongyang. were allowed tocover theevent live from day, whiletheSouthKorean TV stations Dae-jung, whichwas broadcastthesame 2000 withSouthKorean PresidentKim exception was hishistoricmeetinginJune he hasleftit. For security’s sake. The one presence inany partofthecountrybefore It isforbiddentowriteanarticleabouthis of thePeople’s Army ofKorea.” public ofKorea andSupremeCommander Commission oftheDemocraticPeople’s Re- Party, ChairmanoftheNationalDefence “General SecretaryoftheKorean Workers’ followed by histhreemostsplendidtitles: il. They mustensurethathisnameisalways other principleswhenreferringtoKimJong- The news mediaarerequiredtoadhere man’s permissiontousethem.” TV footage. We neededthetelevision chair- archives aswell, especiallySouthKorean in industry.” Obviously, thereweresecret in agriculture” or “Kim Jong-il’s greatness by suchthemes as “Kim Jong-il’s greatness large roomwherecassettesarefi this, wehadaccesstothe TV archives. A tness andtwo ontheimperialistthreat. For signed threereportsonKimJong-il’s grea- 1976 to1996. “For example, Iwould beas- gAng BangSong an editorwiththeState TV station, rent sections,” saidJang Hae-sung, whowas plan anddistributessubjectstothediffe- TV chairmanorganisesamonthlypress basis ofthesecriteria. “Once amonth, the Journalists mustorganisetheirwork onthe Japanese comesfourth. the invasion instinctoftheimperialistsand rialist andbourgeoiscorruption. Criticising list MoonMyung-ja. and thepro-Pyongyang American journa- cial writersandpoetsbestow himwith , theRussiannews agency (Central Television) from l te Da Leader.” “Dear the lm led away led Itar-tass Joon- 2

NORTH KOREA Journalism in the service of a totalitarian dictatorship had sentKimJong-il abouquetoffl ted thatCubandeputyleaderRaulCastro rean Central News Agency the offi reported amajorexplosion inNorthKorea, death. For example, theday SouthKorea nal President” in1998, fouryears afterhis il andKimIl-sung, whobecamethe “Eter- given toeverything concerningKimJong- In general, prominenceissystematically thing inthenewspapers aboutwhatEuro- philosophy. Butwewould never fi tic studentsofKimIl-sung’s lifeand ‘juche’ from Africans saying they were enthusias- media would runentire pageswithletters excesses thatmadehimcritical: “The news of the1990s, saiditwas thepersonalitycult Lee Joo-il, whoarrived inSeoulattheend dustrialised thecountry. Ontheotherhand, resisted theJapanese occupationandin- ther oftheNation” and astheleaderwho Kim Il-sung, whoisstillviewed asthe “Fa- Without Bordersdaretocriticise thelate dreds ofrefugeesinterviewed by Doctors impact onthepopulation. Few ofthehun- This personalityculthasa contradictory website www.uriminzokkiri.com. promote thegreatleaders, above allonthe the north, theregimehasinvested initto although theInternetisstillembryonic in to markKimJong-il’s 55thbirthday. And mes andtheLondon-based ght advertising spaceintheNew York Ti- Voice ofKorea through itsshortwave broadcastsonthe greatness oftheKimdynasty, especially tries toconvince theoutsideworld ofthe of NorthKorean socialism. The regimealso to congratulatehimfortheachievements cialNorthKorean news agency . In1997, Pyongyang bou- (KCNA) repor- Sunday Times nd any- nd owers Ko-

with him.” young offi South Korean daily famine,” saidChungChang-hyun fromthe saved thecountryafterterribleyears of the Father oftheNationwhileKimJong-il pletely devoted. “For them, KimIl-sungis tion ofmanagersaroundhimwhoarecom- bled KimJong-il toforgeayoung genera- Nonetheless, thepersonalityculthasena- socialism?” interested intheresultsofNorthKorean Why wereonlythesmall, poorcountries peans and Americans thoughtoftheregime. unifi and thereby theunityofpeopleand to achieve thedictatorshipofproletariat Not onlydoesitdefendfi cies ofthepartyandeminentcomrade... press disseminatesandexplains thepoli- very offi “the citizenenjoys pressfreedom.” Butthe kers’ Party.” Another articleproclaimsthat, under theleadershipofKorean Wor- of Korea mustconductallofitsactivities state: “The DemocraticPeople’s Republic is clearinitsdefi Article 11oftheNorthKorean constitution The partycontrol vels inthemedia. The party’s dominationisvisibleatallle- has notmetsince1980. the constitutionasparty’s mainorgan, Congress, forexample, whichisdefi by theweaknessofotherinstitutions. strength ofKimJong-il’s gripisreinforced ended upinconcentrationcamps. The Kim Pyong-ha, andseveral hundredaides 1982 purgeinwhichitslastknown boss, chief hasnever beenidentifi police, theKukka Anjon Bowibu, whose personally runsthefearedstatesecurity bers ofhisfamily. Byallappearances, he His immediateentourageconsistsofmem- him. who runsthecountry, likehisfatherbefore presidium (ofwhichheisthesolemember) practice, itisKimJong-il attheheadof is supposedtotakethedecisions. Butin central committeeoritspoliticalbureau Kim Il-sung’s revolutionary ideology. The quest forself-relianceandautonomy) and The singlepartyisguidedby “juche” (the answer fortheirwork totheparty com- leads backtotheparty. Journalists have to Korea, said: “The decision-makingalways rean journalistwhohasspecialised inNorth cation ofideas.” cial DictionaryofHistory says: “The cials wentthroughtheordeal Kim In-goo nition oftheone-party JoongAng Ilbo rmly, butithelps , aSouthKo- ed sincea . “These ned in ned 3 NORTH KOREA Journalism in the service of a totalitarian dictatorship tators adoptedanimpassioned tonewhe- while NorthKorean radioand TV commen- attacking theRepublican administration newspapers werefi gover fromtheKorean war. The Pyongyang the anti-Americanfeelings thatareahan- president enabledtheauthoritiestorevive United States. George W. Bush’s electionas cularly asregardsitshostilitytowards the single party’s propagandaapparatus, parti- The news mediataketheirordersfromthe they shouldgo,” saidJang Hae-sung. left whenKimIl-sungorhissondecided men inthecourseof20years, andthey all the news media. “I’ve known four TV chair- ones. KimJong-il alonedecideswhoruns other news media, especiallytheprovincial Press andPublishingisresponsibleforthe da andPublicity, whiletheDepartmentof go throughtheDepartmentofPropagan- issues tothesethreenews organisations tee offi Sung-soo, areall seniorCentralCommit- Television), includingitschairman, Cha The editorof the country. thin thenews media, asthey dothroughout Security, bothofwhichhave apresencewi- sion andtheMinistryforProtectionofState including theCentralInspectionCommis- The partyalsohasitsrepressive apparatus, a mistake.” imposes sanctionswhenajournalistmakes news. And obviously itisthepartywhich sorship Department)whichcontrolsthe nalists, anditistheKeom-yol Bou(Cen- Party CentralCommitteethatselectsjour- mittee attheirnews organisation. Itisthe TV company Chil-nam, andthoseinchargeofthestate rean Central News Agency rank ofminister. The chairmanofthe kers’ Newspaper), KimLi-ryong, hasthe cials. The ordersthatKimJong-il JoongAng BangSong Rodong Shinmun lled withhostile slogans (KCNA), Choi (The Wor- (Central Ko- and refrainedfromany comment. ted themselves tocarryingfactualreports fi tions. Contrarytotheircoverage duringthe media wereunusuallydiscreetintheirreac- 2003, ontheotherhand, theNorthKorean When the Americans invaded IraqinMarch for news inNorthKorea. co.jp, postsadailybulletinofwhatpasses The offi the UnitedStatesofferregime’s views. fi news ontheInternet. Some30offi The partypromotesthedisseminationofits position conservative party. South Korean army andSouthKorea’s op- refugees (especiallyformeroffi concentrated insteadontheNorthKorean Moo-hyun. The propagandavolleys were Dae-jung andpursuedby hissuccessorRoh launched by SouthKorean PresidentKim rarer inresponsetothe “Sunshine Policy” rect propagandaattacksonSeoulbecame the sametime, onKimJong-il’s orders, di- imperialist” becameacommoninsult. At for example, “I’ll killyou likean American create a “new linguisticculture” inwhich rican andmilitaristicpropagandahelped fl Cho Myong-chul, auniversity professorwho never referringtotheUnitedStates. mer journalist tinue toreceive ideologicaltraining. The for- Throughout theirlife, journalistsmustcon- sometimes even abroad. being abletotravel withinthecountryor – somejournalistsenjoy theprivilegeof a thirdmorethantheaverage functionary material advantages –they arepaidabout evolve. While they may nothave signifi The partyalsodetermineshow theircareers organisation.” few weekslater, they areassignedtoanews tee delegationcomestointerview them. A the schoolofjournalism, aCentralCommit- they graduateattheendoftheircourse journalist KimIn-gooexplained: “When the basisoftheirtraining. SouthKorean «permanent informationplan», whichform versity, they learntheprinciplesof All journalistsarepartymembers. At uni- Regimented andindoctrinated Kim Jong-il andKimIl-sung, theirleading bers taughtusaboutthe achievements of from 9amto5pm. CentralCommitteemem- to attendstudy conferencesevery Saturday rst Gulfwar in1991, thenewspapers limi- liated websitesbasedinJapan, Chinaand ed thecountryin1994, saidtheanti-Ame- cial news agency’s site, www.kcna. Kim Gil-sun said: “We had cas, the cials), cial oraf- cant 4 NORTH KOREA Journalism in the service of a totalitarian dictatorship far-left magazine the young SouthKoreans whoproducethe journalists. This isnoteven disputedby The regimentationproducesvery rigid three years later.” was luckynottobesentacamp. Ifl Sung Hae-rim, amistressofKimJong-il. “I a “dangerous conversation” aboutthelate and shewas fi her familywereevicted fromtheirhome Jong-il namedusasanelitetroop.” Sheand tually nocontactwiththeoutside... And Kim of theKorean war,” shesaid. “We hadvir- us werethechildrenofveterans orvictims all fromKimIl-sunguniversity andmostof ticularly inthenucleardomain. “We were arms industryandscientifi weeklies andmonthliesdealingwiththe is astrategicpressgroupthatpublishes House). Despitetheunexciting name, this pansa (SecondNaturalSciencePublishing for thestaffofJae 2Jayon Kwahak Chul- years livingin aneighbourhoodreserved place. KimGil-sun, forexample, spent17 blications areforcedtoresideinthesame Journalists working forcertainstrategicpu- ciplined journalists.” careers. The partycountedonthemostdis- test resultswereobviously crucialforour the ideologytoentirepopulation. Our because they aresupposedtodisseminate are press-gangedintomuchlongerhours university graduates, especiallyjournalists, average oftwo hoursofclassesaweek, but are accompaniedby tests. Workers have an Koreans have totakethesecourses, which speeches andtheparty’s ideology. All North work inascientifi nalists isdemanding: “Journalists must The party’s sloganforNorthKorean jour- Unrelenting priorcensorship reans. and thehealthcareisfreeforallNorthKo- the SouthattackedNorthinJune 1950 cording tothepropaganda, forexample, lies” aredefended dailyinthepress. Ac- mote theoffi The partyalsoexpects journalists topro- threatened by super-powers.” lists portray themselves asrevolutionaries their articles... The Koreans... We hadtotrainthemandedit them totalkabouttheirdailylifeasNorth all purepropagandaeven whenweasked we received wereunpublishable. Itwas gazine by journalistswiththeNorthKorean ma- tion 21), whichpublishesarticleswritten Tong-il ShinBo cial history. NorthKorea’s “big red fromherjobforhaving c, fastandobjective way.” Minjoong 21 Tong-il ShinBo :fi “The c advances, par- (Korean Na- rt articles rst journa- ed army publishesnewspapers –oneofthem up alargepartofthenational budget. But more thanamillionmembers andswallows few reportsaboutthearmy althoughithas The North Korean mediacarry relatively monstrate.” the Souththey atleasthadtherighttode- and capitalismjustmadeusthinkthatin example oftherevolt againstimperialism shown ongovernmental television asan footage ofSouthKorean far-left protesters ries aboutKimJong-il... Furthermore, the of interestinthepropagandadocumenta- “Like me, many ofmy friendsfoundnothing a refugeeinSouthKorea since2001, recalls: of fatherandson. Lee Joo-il, whohasbeen companied by lyricalpraiseofthegreatness factories orattendinginaugurations, ac- of KimJong-il afteranother, visitingnew TV news bulletinsconsistofonesequence The effectonnews coverage isobvious. The or the Americans.” shriller orsoftertonetowards SouthKorea which would alternatebetweencalling fora recalls: “Our editorwould readthememo, guidelines tobefollowed. Jang Hae-sung tor, normallyeachSaturday, tohearthelast Journalists arethensummonedby theedi- partment, they allbegin: “Kim Jong-il said...” Dear Leader. Sentfromthepropagandade- setting outtheguidelinesdeterminedby the positions. Editors regularlyreceive memos ports arealways inlinewithKimJong-il’s These strictcontrolsensurethatnews re- which muststampit “national.” section” tothepropagandadepartment, must gothroughthe “national investigation stamp itwiththeword “internal.” Then it “internal investigation section,” whomust it hastogothepersoninchargeof section andthentotheireditor. Thereafter, fi Before publishingareport, journalistsmust lines prevent itsimplementation. In Jang Hae-sung’s view, alltheotherguide- rst sendittotheheadoftheireditorial 5 NORTH KOREA Journalism in the service of a totalitarian dictatorship journalists “Revolutionized” anddisappeared called a triptotheprovinces toprepareareport, gers ofthetrade: “When journalistsmake Jang Hae-sungexplained someofthedan- a 100,000peoplearestillbeing held.» been closedinrecentyears, butmorethan camps. At leastthreeofthesecampshave against KimJong-il aresenttodetention of counter-revolutionary crimesor Ilbo the SouthKorean newspaper work centre,” saidChungChang-hyun of are isolatedvillagesordistrictswitha “Reeducation campsarenotprisons, they and gobacktothemafterwards. their postsduringthistimebutarenotpaid, two years inacamp. The journalistskeep which canbebetweenthreemonthsand It isuptothepartysetpunishment, senior editorsifthefaultisdeemedserious. of self-criticisminfrontthecommitteeor gated. They mustthengothroughaprocess in theirnews organisationandareinterro- take aresummonedby thepartycommittee Journalists whomakeamis- including himself. who were “revolutionized,” least 40casesofjournalists Borders hewas aware ofat told Reporters Without TV journalistfor20years, Jang Hae-sung, whowas a work ifthey makemistakes. ding journalists, aresentto where functionaries, inclu- are statefactoriesorfarms “Revolutionization” camps mocratic leader.” from 1961to1979, asa “de- rian regimeinSouthKorea who headedanauthorita- describing Park Chung-he, reeducation campsin1986forerroneously Kwan-hee, spentayear inoneofthese lutionization” camp. A TV journalist, Kim portedly spentseveral monthsina “revo- Korean deputyministerasminister. Here- of 2004formistakenlyreferringtoaNorth radio journalistwas punishedatthestart ror ormisspeakinginNorthKorea. A state A highpricecanbepaidforatypinger- to KimJong-il. glorify thearmedforcesandtheirservice Daily) –whicharereadby soldiers. They . “On theotherhand, personsaccused Joson Inmingun (The People’s Army JoongAng was alieandthat theshophadnomeat. The sidents complainedtotheirpartycellthatit normally. After thereportwas screened, re- pression thatthebutcher’s was functioning meat. Sothey stagedthingstogive theim- But whenthey arrived, theplacehadno the qualityofmeatataPyongyang butcher’s. leagues weresupposedtodoareportabout journalists, Jang Hae-sungsaid. “Some col- The constantlyingalsoposesdilemmasfor as well.” cism, andthenthereportergetspunished journalist inthecourseoftheirself-criti- but ifthey arediscovered, they namethe report. The localpartyleadersnever refuse, cal partycellleadersinreturnforagood they oftensolicit abribeorgiftfromthelo- Song Keum Chul Jang Hae-sunggetsupsetwhenhetalksof economical reformsto “save thecountry.” to writealetterKimJong-il callingfor sent toadetentioncampin1990fordaring Kwahak Chulpansapressgroupwhowas of onehercolleaguesintheJae 2Jayon the sametime, KimGil-sunrecalls thecase with theirfamiliestopoliticalcamps. At peared. Inallprobability, they weresent intellectuals closetoHwan Jang-yop disap- removed inFebruary. Otherjournalistsand 1997. The presidentofthepartydailywas ried outapurgeofthetraitor’s entouragein yop defectedtotheSouth, KimJong-il car- Jang-ges.Hwan After“juche”theoretician Journalists have alsobeenthevictimofpur- had failedtodothereport.” But hewould alsohave beenpunishedifhe journalist was punishedforthefalsereport. was truethatKimJong-il was bornclose to nalist. Oneday heaskedmeifIthought it national TV stationwiththisyoung jour- Part camp oftheHaengyong : “I sharedmy offi ce atthe 6 NORTH KOREA Journalism in the service of a totalitarian dictatorship peared between1976and1996. three otherNorthKorean journalistsdisap- he isdead. Ihave noidea.” Hesaidatleast sent toaconcentrationcamp. Orperhaps Korea. “Song Keum Chulmusthave been nuary 1996andgotoChina, andthenSouth under torture, Jang decidedtoleave inJa- that Songwould reveal theirconversations ned him: “You have aweekleft.” Fearing offi ning by thepoliticalpolicethreetimes. An Jang was himselfsummonedforquestio- more abouthim.” One day hedisappeared. Inever heardany ted oforganisingasmallgroupcritics. moned by thesecretpolice. Hewas suspec- fi that itwas theSouththatattackedus. Icon- did notseemtobeconvinced by theversion discussed thestartofKorean war. He in factbornRussia. Sometimelaterwe seemed tobeaware thatKimJong-il was to repeatthroughouttheday ontheair. He the sacredmountainofPaekdu, asweused cent oftheNorth Koreans arriving inthe out by poll of200NorthKorean refugeescarried grammes. Inwas justonein121999. A Radio Free Asia polled in2001saidthey hadlistenedtothe to own aradioset. Sixoutof12refugees cent ofNorthKorean homesarethought have increased signifi number ofradiolistenersisbelieved to rities andthenbuyanadditionalone. The Koreans registera radiosetwiththeautho- According toseveral refugees, someNorth nese sideoftheborderinJilianprovince. the videosurveillance installedontheChi- The militarypresencewould supplement Chinese bordertoprevent refugeesleaving. elite army unithadbeentransferredtothe newspaper reportedinSeptemberthatan set smugglingmay bereinedin. A Japanese the People’s RepublicofChina. Butradio the country, especiallytoPyongyang, from more andradiosetsaregettinginto 1990s atthetimeofgreatfamine. Today, control ofradioweakenedduringthemid- station nager oftheSeoul-baseddissidentradio be changed,” arefugeeexplained. The ma- government radiofrequenciesandcannot in NorthKorea butthey arepre-settothe reign radiostations. “You canbuyradiosets into theKorean-language broadcastsoffo- sidestep theoffi For many NorthKoreans, theonlyway to Control oftheairwaves rmed hissuspicions. Laterhewas sum- cer, aformeruniversity colleague, war- Voice ofAmerica FreeNK saidthepoliticalpolice’s cial propagandaistotune ’s Korean-language pro- cnl. wny per Twenty cantly. showed that87per FreeNK offi him, hesaid. The managerof reign radiostationshadbeena “shock” for that thequalityimproved.” Listeningtofo- hear thenews. Itwas onlyafter11atnight noise likeamotorandyou couldhardly Korea in1999. “You couldhearanenormous Seong-min, arefugeewhoarrived inSouth jamming was very loud,” saidjournalistKim them tolistentheforeignstations. “The The authoritiesdonotmakeiteasyfor before leaving. South hadlistenedtooneofthesestations followed by dong The SouthKorean stationsKBSand radio stations.” listening tointernationalandSouthKorean think many refugeesdecidedtoleave after tention tosendhundreds oftransistorra- ters Without Borders, announcedtheirin- activists inSouthKorea, backed by Repor- regime” on13June 2004, after humanrights signated radiosetsas “new enemiesofthe people. The NorthKorean authoritiesde- known butitwas clearlydesignedtoscare all radiosets. The campaign’s impactisun- received instructionstoverify thesealson party cellinneighbourhoodsandvillages dio setsattheendof2003. The headofeach The partylaunchedacampaign tocheckra- suffering frompost-traumaticeffects.” 70 percentoftherefugeeswelookafterare rible shock. This isoneofthereasonswhy they arrive inChina, realitycomesasater- succeeded inescaping, especiallywhen priority. Ontheotherhand, oncethey have vival. Access tonews is not necessarilya North Koreans areinadailybattleforsur- buting tonsoffoodeachmonth. (…)Most that the World Food Programmewas distri- people fromruralareasdidnoteven know inside oroutsidethecountry. Hundreds of knew nothing aboutwhatwas happening ked tohundredsofrefugees. Many ofthem the impactofforeignstations: “We’ve tal- tors Without BordersinSeoul, played down aresaidtobethemostpopularones, ce VOA and RFA . The headofDoc- FreeNK said, “I Keuk- 7 NORTH KOREA Journalism in the service of a totalitarian dictatorship North Koreanradiosetsaresealed and somehomestobroadcastpropaganda. installed by theregimeinfactories, offi Broadcasting), thenetwork ofloudspeakers way ofescapingtheSambangsong(Third On theotherhand, NorthKoreans have no ted,” saidLeeJoo-il. even theirchildrenforfearofbeingrepor- not even telltheirneighboursorsometimes who listentointernationalradiostationsdo three agentsineachsmalltown. “Those every apartmentblockandhave atleast The securityserviceshave apostoutside one informerforevery 50NorthKoreans. tion ofStateSecurity), whichaimstohave Anjon Bowibu (theMinistryfortheProtec- such “criminals” withthehelpofKukka political police)hasthejobofidentifying as heardofacase. The Bo An-Seoung (the detained forthis “crime” butevery refugee to know how many peoplehave beenorare the regime’s oneisprison. Itisimpossible ght listeningtoany radiostationotherthan The punishmentforaNorthKorean cau- crime” by thesecurityservices. thout permissionisviewed asa “political interests in Asia. Possessing aradiosetwi- Free Asia tabilise thegovernment” and, using bed thisasan “American attempttodes- The offi the inhabitantstolistenforeignstations. dios by balloonintoNorthKorea toenable cial daily cial inparticular, toserve “imperialist” Rodong Shinmun descri- Radio ces side 2004. Duringanother demonstrationout- tions attackedtherecordingstudioinJune sure continues. Pro-Pyongyang demonstra- by thedissidentradiostation. And thepres- rean government appearsnottohave stood offi Pressed by thecommunistregimeduringan in 2005. real radiowave broadcastingtotheNorth Kim Seong-minhopestobeablestart from SouthKorea andtheUnitedStates, sits aday. Thanks tonew fi website whichgetsanaverage of3,000vi- programming aday, madeavailable onits Aside fromtechnicalproblems, il’s birthday. grammes on16February 2004, KimJong- ded inbroadcastingtheirfi raising money, agroupofrefugeessuccee- FreeNK Koreans aboutrealityintheworld,” said reans aboutrealityintheNorth, andNorth regime. Itwas ourdutytoinformSouthKo- ting slogansinsupportofthePyongyang to hearSouthKorean demonstratorschan- gap. Butitwas noteasy. “We wereshocked its website, wwww.freenk.net, hasfi based in theSouth. The creationoftheSeoul- bers oftheNorthKorean communityliving missing was aradiostationrunby mem- ted atNorthKoreans foryears. What was had Korean-language programmestarge- Voice ofAmerica A fewdissidentmedia ple.” Today down, butitisourdutytoinformpeo- pressure ontheSouthforustobeclosed to letup. “We know thattheNorthisputting writer withtheNorthKorean army, refuses Manager KimSeong-min, aformeroffi a SouthKorean policeman. the journalistsarepermanentlyguardedby threats, setupanew studioinSeoulwhere members becausethey werescaredby the The team, whichmeanwhilelostthreeofits mises beusedasthestation’s headquarters. Reunifi visits frommenacingindividualsforcedthe Pyongyang regime. Anonymous callsand threats by SouthKorean supportersofthe faced acampaignofverbal andphysical to runaso-calledweb-radio controlledand who have betrayed theircountryandbegun gyang says thecampaignisagainst “those fl was hitdespitethepoliceprotection. A lea- 150 pro-Pyongyang students, themanager et distributed by agroup thatbacksPyon- cial meetingin April 2004, theSouthKo- FreeNK cationInstitutetostoplettingitspre- FreeNK manager FreeNK ’s premises in August by about withradioprogrammeson and Kim Seong-min producesonehourof Radio Free Asia nancial support nancial rst news pro- FreeNK lled the . After have 8 cial has NORTH KOREA Journalism in the service of a totalitarian dictatorship seven journalists. launched inDecember2004withateamof an onlinenewspaper, tion targetedattherefugeecommunity. And South Korea hasjustlaunchedapublica- North Korean doctorwhoisarefugeein could beusedagainsttheregime. Buta writers andphotocopiersforfearthatthey ders in1999forclosermonitoringoftype- It isjustknown thatKimJong-il gave or- clandestine publicationsinNorthKorea. porters Without Bordershadheardofany None ofthepersoninterviewed by Re- staff shouldbekilled. personally given ordersthatthestation’s nalists have beentoldthatKimJong-il has ders thatSouthKorean andJapanese jour- FreeNK that wearewatching you allthetime.” The ple andcommitsuicidenow! ... Don’t forget apologise foryour crimesagainstthepeo- rable manner, Hwan Jang-yop, you must want todiein themostshamefulinmise- who contributesto the NorthKorean dissidentHwan Jang-yop, lar group, directthreats weremadeagainst During ameetingheldin April by asimi- the extreme-right wingpower.” backed by theUnitedStatesof America and in 2000, ajournalistfromthe ministerial summitbetweenthetwo Koreas South Korean daily purely decorativ have beenrejected. “These journalists are South Korean andwesternnews media news agency newspaper se news agency manent bureauxinPyongyang: theChine- Only threeforeignnews mediahave per- “Foreign journalistsareallliars” correspondents couldgoandbasethemsel- South in2000. ItalsoaskedifSouthKorean me betweenjournalistsfrom theNorthand wanted toorganiseanexchange program- The Seoul-based Korea PressFoundation ted by theUnitedStatesandSouthKorea. explosion thathadreportedlybeendetec- British foreignoffi in September2004whenquestionedby a responded foreignministerPaek Nam-soon nal press. “Foreign journalistsareallliars,” their clearhostilitytoward theinternatio- Some NorthKorean offi local sources.” the ministerialmeetings. Heclearlyhadno came toseemeaskabouttheresultsof teamtoldReporters Without Bor- Renmin Ribao Itar-tass Xinhua e,” s ce ministeraboutalarge Chosun Ilbo aid KimIn-gooofthe FreeNK Daily NK , theoffi . All requests from requests . All cials do not hide , andtheRussian Xinhua :you “Unless cial Chinese , isduetobe .a “During bureau main dailies, in NorthKorea closely. At leasttwo ofthe South Korean pressfollows developments ved theproject. Despitetherestrictions, the ves intheNorth. Pyongyang never appro- the SouthKorean agency on thenews reportsputoutby KCNA and bureaux inBeijingandSeoulhave torely day-to-day coverage ofNorthKorea, AFP’s only threetimesinthepastyears. For (AFP) hasbeenallowed intoNorthKorea French news agency the UStelevision news network CNN. The number offoreignnews mediaincluding was accompanied by anunprecedented US secretaryofstateMadeleine Albright or, morerecently, Britain. A visitby former ment delegationsfromSouthKorea, Japan med foroffi visits isvery sporadic. Presspoolsarefor- North Korean permissionforforeignpress every day. sion, radio, newspapers andnews agency journalists theremonitortheoffi have researchcentresinNorthKorea. The from theconservative daily support theSunshinePolicy. Journalists ference toSouthKorean publicationsthat The Pyongyang authoritiesalsogive pre- ked inhotelsandbannedfromgoingout.” journalists cometotheSouth, they arepar- places. Butyou know, whenNorthKorean know thatourguideschoosethepeopleand to themarketsandtalkpeople, even ifwe and reportinPyongyang, weareabletogot magazine welcome. Yoo Byeong-mun ofthefar-left cations thatsupportNorthKorea aremade The few SouthKorean andJapanese publi- Seoul said. European press,” the AFP bureauchiefin the Asian and American pressandeven the yet, dispatchesaboutNorthKorea interest few westernerslivinginPyongyang. “And journalists, whosetaskistoprevent them one ortwo guides, usually NorthKorean All foreignjournalistsare accompaniedby and they sleptinthesamehotel.” were withusthroughout the reportingtrip think ourguidesrealisedthat. Anyway, they out aboutthedailylifeofNorthKoreans. I sites, buttheaimofourreportingwas tofi course, weaskedforvisastogottourist North sixtimesinthepastyears: “Of jin relative ease. Photo-journalist KyoReh ShinMun ral times, butreportersfromthedaily have beendeniedaccesstotheNorthseve- , forexample, hasbeenabletogothe Minjoong 21 cial visitsby foreigngovern- Chosun Ilbo wereabletogetvisaswith Agence France-Presse said: “When wego and Yonhap JoongAng Ilbo Chosun Ilbo cial televi- Yim Jong- andthe Han- 9 nd ,

NORTH KOREA Journalism in the service of a totalitarian dictatorship rean regime. its August issue criticisingtheNorthKo- an articleby economist Wang Zhongwen in closed inSeptember2004afterpublishing Yu Guanli The Chinesediplomaticbimonthly ty intheranksofitsown reformistpress. Korea storyrecentlytookcausedacasual- China’s censorshipofthesensitive North Koreans refugees. to continuecovering thesituationofNorth Seok Jae-Hyun andOh Young-Phil want ght tosendlettersorreceive familyvisits. the prisonauthoritiesrefusedhimri- hours aday makingartifi til July 2004, hewas forcedtospendeight casting System operation forthe TV channel son forfi spent nearly16monthsinaChinsepri- Freelance videoreporter North Korean refugeestory.” the SouthKorean reportersworking onthe through me, they wanted tointimidateall photographer ortheaimofmy report. And authorities didnotlikethefactthatIwas a that: “From theoutset, thepoliceand confi for “traffi court sentencedhimtotwo years inprison rean refugeesoutofthecountry. A Chinese covering anattempttosmuggleNorthKo- than 14monthsindetentionChinafor photographer rean refugeesinChina. SouthKorean it easytocover thesituationofNorthKo- The Chineseauthoritiesalsodonotmake sion. gyang streetwithouthisguides’permis- licemen whiletakingpicturesonaPyon- Olivier Mirguet That year, French freelancephotographer things willnotbeallowed tocomeback.” dia andthosewhowriteorfi We willseewhatyou say inyour news me- “Some have wanted toseeforbiddenthings. tened inthefollowing way by theirguides: May 2002, foreignjournalistswerethrea- blished inadvance withtheauthorities. In from straying fromtheprogrammeesta- rmed toReporters Without Borders lming anotherrefugeesmuggling cking inhumanbeings” buthe (StrategyandManagement)was . HeldfromMarch2003un- Seok Jae-Hyun was detainedby threepo- cial fl cial Oh Young-Phil lm thewrong Tokyo Broad- spentmore owers.And Zhanlue

North Korea. KimIn-gooof cant changesasregardspressfreedomin It iscertainlyhardtodiscernany signifi propagandists. threat ofterriblesanctions, aredisciplined Korea’s journalistswho, underapermanent tness oftheKims. ButtherearealsoNorth the hundredsofbooksextolling thegrea- the country, thebadgesonevery jacketand father andson, the30,000statuesaround sands ofbillboardswithslogansglorifying Kim Jong-il. There are thesongs, thethou- role inthedeifi the population. The mediaalsohave akey mented presstoexplain thisideologyto gism and “juche.” Itisthetaskofregi- tarianism isitsuniqueideology, Kimilsun- A specialfeatureofNorthKorean totali- the editorialsofoffi soners tore-educatethemselves by reading ces some200,000concentrationcamppri- tion of22million? What otherregimefor- death oftwo millionoutofatotalpopula- ports atallaboutafaminethatcausedthe country’s mediawould have carriednore- instead ofdeputyminister? What other a syllablefromnameorsaying minister ducation campforsixmonthsomitting country sendsastatejournalisttoree- legitimising theregime, butwhatother are given over toapersonalitycultand The news mediain Turkmenistan andCuba information controlandmanipulation. the world have experienced suchalevel of rea’s totalitarianregime. Few countriesin one oftheleadingweaponsNorthKo- to by French historianPierreRigoulotis The “mind-numbing propaganda” referred Conclusions ject.” lism would be “better withthereformpro- kind ofcomment, thatNorthKorean socia- on theoffi reans.” As early as1July 2001, apresenter improving livingconditionsforNorthKo- and morereportspraisingthepolicyof was notpunished... You seeorreadmore It was notamistakebecause thejournalist term reforminaneditorialMarch2003. slightly differenttake: “The Chung Chang-hyun of it isinvesting insatellite TV broadcasting.” to overhaul themedia, butatthesametime le... You mightthinkthepartycannotafford has thesameformatandrigidsty- during thepastfi adamant: “Nothing haschangeinthemedia cial TV station said, without any cation ofKimIl-sungand ve years. News reporting cial press? JoongAng Ilbo KCNA Chosun Ilbo usedthe hasa 10 is -

NORTH KOREA Journalism in the service of a totalitarian dictatorship formation. of NorthKoreans todiverse news andin- focus ontheneedforrespect fortheright country. The internationalcommunitymust situation ofNorthKorean refugeesinthat reign journalistsmay freelyreporton the Republic ofChinasothatChineseandfo- ted NationstointercedewiththePeople’s Finally, thereisanurgentneedfortheUni- mention theproblemofpressfreedom. UN specialrapporteurforNorthKorea will ders alsohopesthatthenext reportofthe radio programmes. Reporters Without Bor- their compatriots, especiallyby meansof trying toprovide news andinformationto port totheNorthKorean refugees whoare pean Unionshouldprovide materialsup- The organisationproposesthattheEuro- sion. fi humanitarian aidwithdemandsforasigni- calls ontheEuropeanUniontocoupleits in NorthKorea. Reporters Without Borders munity todemandconcreteimprovements an urgentneedfortheinternationalcom- on any advances inbasic freedoms. There is population. Butthisaidisnotconditioned that itreachestheneediestsectorsof Food Programmewithout any certainty medicine eachyear throughtheUN’s World countries sendmillionsoftonsfoodand country intheworld. The industrialised North Korea getsmoreaidthatany other come ofthisdiscussionisunknown. to Pyongyang inSeptember 2004. The out- fi cuss humanrightswithBritishforeignof- But someoffi under theman-centredsocialistsystem.» helping andleadingoneanotherforward ple formabigfamilyandlive inharmony human rightsissueinDPRKasallitspeo- mission onHumanRights: “There exists no to thereportspresentedUNCom- In 2003, thegovernment gave thisresponse openly withtheinternationalcommunity. Pyongyang refusestodiscusshumanrights that isusedinthepress. the outsideworld, butit is theword Kaesun talk ofKaehukwhenthey areaddressing regime. NorthKorea’s offi the mediaaretheretoprotectKimJong-il’s gime would bechallenged... Onceagain, in thesociety, thereisdangerthatthere- reform. Iftheword reformbecamecurrent Kaesun, improvement, andnotKaehuk, media received instructionstotalkabout Chung Chang-hyun explains further: “The cant improvement infreedomofexpres- ce ministerBillRammellduringhisvisit cials reportedlyagreedtodis- cials, forexample, 11