North Korean Media

North Korean Media

The media of North Korea is among the most strictly controlled in the world. The constitution provides for freedom of speech and the press; however, the government prohibits the exercise of these rights in practice, unless it is in praise of the country and its government and leader. The government not only tightly controls all information coming in and out of the country, but seeks to mold information at its source. A typical example of this was the death of Kim Jong-iI, news of which was not divulged until two days after it occurred. Kim Jong-un, who replaced his father as leader, has given every indication he will largely follow in his father's footsteps, however new technologies are being developed, and being made more freely available in the country. State-run media outlets are setting up websites, while mobile phone ownership in the country has escalated rapidly. By early 2012 there were more than a million mobile phone owners in North Korea.

Reporters Without Borders has consistently ranked North Korea at or near the bottom of its yearly Press Freedom Index since it was first issued in 2002. In its 2011-2012 report, RSF classified North Korea's media environment as 178th out of 179 countries in the rankings, only above that of Eritrea.

The state news agency, the Korean Central News Agency, provides the only source of information for all media outlets in North Korea.