North Korea's state media online

All North Korean media are controlled by the state: the Workers' Party Rodong Sinmun, the government's Minju Choson, the KCNA agency and KCTV television publish in Korean, and partly in English or French, on official websites that can be viewed from abroad.

From the colonial press to Rodong Sinmun

Under Japanese occupation, from 1910 to 1945, the Korean press was tightly censored. After liberation, Rodong Sinmun appeared in Pyongyang in 1945 and became the central organ of the Workers' Party of Korea, a role it has kept without interruption.

Rodong Sinmun and Minju Choson, voices of power

Rodong Sinmun publishes Party editorials, the activities of Kim Jong Un and the major economic campaigns. Minju Choson speaks for the government and the Supreme People's Assembly. For years, joint New Year editorials in these papers set the country's priorities.

Korean first, foreign languages second

These publications are aimed first at Korean readers, with spelling and vocabulary that differ from Seoul's. KCNA and the Naenara portal also offer versions in English, Chinese, Russian, Japanese, Spanish and French, intended for an international audience.

Is there a regional press in North Korea?

Every province, from North Hamgyong to Kangwon, has its own Party newspaper, but these titles are rarely available outside the country. News from the provinces reaches the outside world mainly through KCNA and through the informants of specialist outlets based in Seoul.

Official websites and the Kwangmyong intranet

The population has no access to the global internet: people use the national Kwangmyong intranet and a few apps on controlled smartphones. Abroad, Uriminzokkiri and DPRK Today spread propaganda online, while most Western social networks remain inaccessible in Pyongyang.

KCNA, the agency that announces missile launches

The Korean Central News Agency, founded in 1946, publishes official statements every day: factory visits, foreign ministry declarations, reports on missile tests. Its English dispatches are picked up by Yonhap, AFP and Kyodo, often a few hours after release.

KCTV and Voice of Korea, Pyongyang on the airwaves

Korean Central Television, KCTV, is the main channel and can be received by satellite across Asia. Voice of Korea broadcasts abroad on shortwave, including in French, English and Japanese. KCTV's newsreaders announce the most important events.

Choson Sinbo and the Korean community in Japan

In Japan, the Chongryon association, close to Pyongyang, publishes Choson Sinbo in Tokyo, in Korean and Japanese. This diaspora paper sometimes explains North Korean positions in a more explanatory tone than official media; see the Japanese press.

Planned economy and sporting feats

There is no business press in the Western sense: Rodong Sinmun comments on five-year plans, harvests and building projects in Pyongyang. Sport appears mainly after international victories, in women's football or weightlifting, celebrated as national triumphs.

A system with no independent press

The Constitution mentions press freedom, but no independent outlet is allowed and foreign journalists work under escort. In South Korea, access to North Korean websites is restricted by the National Security Act unless authorised.

Reading between the lines and cross-checking

Official websites are free, with no subscription. Analysts compare KCNA dispatches with specialist outlets in Seoul, South Korean intelligence and the Asian press; a leader missing from photos or a changed honorific title is studied closely.

How Beijing and Tokyo cover Pyongyang

Relations with China, the main partner, show through in Xinhua and the People's Daily, covered in our page on the Chinese press. Missile launches over the Japanese archipelago are given priority by NHK, along with J-Alert warnings.

Following North Korean news from abroad

1. Read the English or French version of KCNA to see official statements exactly as they are published in Pyongyang.
2. Scan the front page of Rodong Sinmun to spot the Party's priorities and the leader's public appearances.
3. Add Yonhap or Kyodo dispatches, which place North Korean announcements in their regional context.
4. Use specialist aggregators that archive state media, handy when the official sites are slow or offline.
5. Always compare Pyongyang's version with those of Seoul, Tokyo, Beijing and Washington before drawing conclusions.
6. Check the date of photos and videos, as state media sometimes reuse archive images for military announcements.

Access to North Korea's official media

Key facts on Pyongyang's media

• Language: Korean; versions in English, French, Chinese, Russian, Japanese and Spanish depending on the site
• News agency: Korean Central News Agency (KCNA)
• Television: Korean Central Television (KCTV); international radio: Voice of Korea
• Party paper: Rodong Sinmun; government paper: Minju Choson; English weekly: The Pyongyang Times
• Time zone: Pyongyang Time, UTC+9, the same as Seoul and Tokyo
• Calendar: official dates sometimes use the Juche era, which begins in 1912

Traps when reading North Korean media

• Mistaking a parody site or a fake KCNA social media account for an official source, as satirical accounts are numerous.
• Reading a KCNA statement as established fact, when it is a political message aimed at audiences both at home and abroad.
• Confusing North Korean state media with opposition or defector outlets based in Seoul, which argue the opposite view.
• Passing on an unsourced rumour about a leader's health, as this kind of report has often proved false.
• Forgetting that official sites may be blocked in some countries, notably South Korea, or be temporarily unavailable.

Your questions about North Korean newspapers