Television in North Korea

Television in North Korea is subject to the Korean Central Broadcasting Committee and controlled by the Propaganda and Agitation Department of the Workers' Party of Korea.[1] A study in 2017 found that 98% of households had a television set.[2] As of 2020, there are over-the-air broadcasts in both analogue and recently launched digital formats.[3]

Open air display of Korean Central Television in Pyongyang

Technological data

Television in North Korea uses a PAL 576i Systems D and K analog signal transmission system and 4:3 aspect ratio. Before 1993, North Korea was operating on the SECAM television system, which also uses 576i at 4:3.[4] The four major television channels—Korean Central Television, Mansudae, Athletic Television and Ryongnamsan—broadcast over the air, as well as on a cable television system in Pyongyang;[5] these channels are also available in a special app found on the government issued Samjiyon tablet computers,[6] as well as on the Manbang IPTV service.

North Korea uses DVB-T2 for Digital Terrestrial Television. Trials began in 2012.[7][8] As of 2020, multiple set-top box models were available, giving access to the four broadcast channels.[3]

Television sets sold in North Korea are able to operate only on the PAL and DVB-T2 systems, to prevent them from being able to pick up broadcasts from South Korea (which use NTSC System M analogue and ATSC digital) or China (which uses DTMB digital). However, broadcasts from Russia can be picked up, as they are also DVB-T2. Imported TV sets that are able to operate on both PAL and NTSC, such as those from Japan, have their NTSC abilities disabled by the government on import.[9]

Television channels

As of August 16, 2016, there were four television channels in North Korea. All are state-owned and usually last from daytime to prime time.

Korean Central Television
External video
Korean Central Television
video icon "Development of Television under Kim Jong Il"; excerpt from North Korean television on the development of KCTV in the 1980s and 1990s
Main article: Korean Central Television

This is the oldest and main television channel in North Korea, and it started regular broadcasting in 1963. As of 2017, it is the only North Korean TV channel broadcasting to the outside world via satellite television and IPTV aside from domestic transmissions. On satellite, KCTV is available in standard definition as well as in Full HD.[10] Since December 4, 2017, a test air broadcast in the format 16:9 SDTV was started.[11]

Mansudae Television
Main article: Mansudae Television
Mansudae Television

Mansudae Television broadcasts educational material with the occasional advert on weekends[12] to Pyongyang. It opened on December 1, 1973. The Mansudae TV Broadcasting Station broadcasts three hours (19:00–22:00) on Saturdays, and nine hours (10:00–13:00, 16:00–22:00) on Sundays.[13]

Ryongnamsan Television
Main article: Ryongnamsan Television

Ryongnamsan Television (룡남산텔레비죤) is an educational channel provided by University Student TV Department of Korea Radio and Television.[14] The de facto director of this channel is Yang Chun Won.

Logo of Ryongnansam Television

The channel started broadcasting on April 1, 1971, under the name "Kaesong". On October 10, 1991, that channel transitioned to color broadcasting. On 1 February 1997 (some sources say 16 February 1997), the channel was rebranded as the "Korean Educational and Cultural Network".[15] According to the North Korea Handbook, the rebranding was connected with the 55th anniversary of Kim Jong-il. The channel was broadcast on Channel 9 in Pyongyang from 18:00 to 22:00 on weekdays.[3] Also in the 1990s, the television station carried out experimental broadcasting from the television tower in Kaesong on Channel 8 in the NTSC-M format, as a way to promote North Korean culture among South Korean viewers. Channel 8 was chosen to prevent the signal from being jammed by South Korean broadcasters, since in Seoul, Channels 7 and 9 were used for KBS2 and KBS1 until that country's analogue shutdown on December 31, 2012. KBS1 and KBS2 were also broadcast in the demilitarized zone on Channels 29 and 28, respectively, although their signal was jammed by the North Korean government.

On September 5, 2012, the channel received its current name.[16] Its schedule includes science documentaries in English, television lectures and educational programs for learning foreign languages.[14] The channel is available for viewing to students of all universities of Pyongyang. The station broadcasts on Channel 9 from the Pyongyang TV tower, on the Manbang IPTV service,[17] and on apps on Samjiyon tablets.

External media
Ryongnamsan Television
Images
image icon Screenshot of 4:3 testcard
image icon Screenshot of 16:9 testcard
Video
video icon Video recording of Ryongnamsan TV testcard with background music

Athletic Television
Cheyug TV
External image
The DPRK Sport Television
image icon The Sport Television testcards (4:3 on center and fragment of 16:9 on the right)

Athletic Television (Cheyug TV, 체육텔레비죤) is the sports channel launched on August 15, 2015.[18] Athletic Television presents sports competitions involving North Korean athletes, and documentaries and programs about the history of sports in North Korea and the world.[19][20] The channel broadcasts on Saturdays and Sundays from 19:00 to 22:00. At 20:00, the channel broadcasts the Podo news program by Korean Central Television.

Pyongyang TV Tower

Frequency plan of Pyongyang TV Tower (2015)[6] and the Manbang IPTV channels (2016). The VHF channels utilize System D and the UHF frequencies are System K.

Frequency channelManbang IPTV systemTV channelTransmitter power

(kW)

5 (93.25 MHz)2Mansudae Television350
6 (175.25 MHz)4Athletic Television250
9 (199.25 MHz)3Ryongnamsan140
12 (223.25 MHz)1Korean Central Television700
25 (503.25 MHz)-(planned)
31 (551.25 MHz)-(planned)

Content

The quality of programming has improved over the years. International news is broadcast and the quality of educational programming is high. Documentaries are aired often and are usually on the topic of health, Korean and world history and geography.[21] Since 2012, weather forecasting has become more accurate and timely responding to climate change concerns and the economic impact of weather events.[22]

See also

References
  1. "Revamp of North Korean Broadcasting System Revealed". english.dailynk.com. Archived from the original on 2018-06-21. Retrieved 2018-05-28. Broadcasting
  2. Miles, Tom (21 June 2018). "Tackling North Korea's chronically poor sewage 'not rocket science': U.N." Reuters.
  3. Williams, Martyn (16 December 2020). "North Korea's Multi-Channel TV Age". 38 North. The Henry L. Stimson Center. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  4. Hegarty, Michael; Phelan, Anne; Kilbride, Lisa (1998). Classrooms for Distance Teaching & Learning: A Blueprint. ISBN 9789061868675.
  5. See also the special article written by A. I. Shin
    Russian: Вопреки расхожему мнению, в Пхеньяне, по крайней мере, люди смотрят не один канал в рабочие дни и два - по выходным. В гостях, где мы были, есть кабельное ТВ и при нас каналов было четыре.
  6. "Review: Samjiyon tablet". August 2013.
  7. 北朝鮮で4局が地上デジタル放送を実施中、ASUS ZenFone Go TVで確認. blogofmobile.com (in Japanese). 8 September 2019. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  8. Williams, Martyn (17 March 2013). "Report: DPRK testing digital TV". North Korea Tech - 노스코리아테크. Archived from the original on 23 September 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  9. "North Korean television sets still receive South Korean signals - New Focus International". New Focus International. 30 January 2013. Archived from the original on 3 August 2017. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
  10. KCTV launches HD satellite broadcasts — North Korea Tech
  11. "North Korea's KCTV goes widescreen, stereo in big upgrade". 5 December 2017.
  12. Andray Abrahamian (17 June 2016). "Rise in advertising as North Korea embraces nascent consumerism". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  13. "TV Broadcasting and Its Development in DPRK". The People's Korea (188). 2003. Archived from the original on 2015-08-01.
  14. AP video report about Ryongnamsan TV launching
  15. DPRK TV description on kfausa.org
  16. 新たに放送開始、話題集める竜南山テレビ 学問専門番組、大学生に好評（朝鮮新報）
  17. Williams, Martyn (22 February 2019). "Manbang IPTV Service in Depth". 38 North. The Henry L. Stimson Center. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
  18. 朝鲜终于有了体育台
  19. 북한, 체육 전문TV 신설…'체육강국' 일환 | 연합뉴스. Archived from the original on 2018-10-07. Retrieved 2018-01-29.
  20. 朝鲜体育电视台开播
  21. Salmon, Andrew (4 December 2018). "Going native in the Hermit Kingdom". Asia Times.
  22. Williams, Martyn; Lee, Rachel Minyoung (6 September 2022). "What's Up with the Weather in North Korea?". 38 North. The Henry L. Stimson Center. Retrieved 14 September 2022.

Sources
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