Authoritarian Media- North Korea

     I think it goes without saying that as far as journalistic freedom goes, North Korea is at the bottom of the list. No, literally the bottom of the list. Reporters Without Borders ranks North Korea as the least free out of 180 countries in regards to it's freedom of press. It's listed as a black zone which is the absolute worst on the color scale they use. To be fair essentially all freedoms are limited in North Korea. You can't even travel around the country much less leave without to live elsewhere without government approval, which won't happen. If you try to escape you'll be seen as a defector and dealt with as such. Their internet is essentially none existent. They have a closed intranet network that's strictly controlled by the government, it's name in Korean means Bright Light but the only thing it shines lights on is the brainwashing that's done by the government there. The only information freely available is that provided by the Government. As someone who firmly believes you should have unfettered access to information saving thing's that are potentially dangerous (how to build explosives, etc.) this is appalling to me. South Korea is one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world and their neighbors are living in intellectual darkness. While North Korea self reports a "100% literacy rate for those 15 and older" that doesn't mean they know anything of the real world. The people know enough to understand that they're being restrained and oppressed. You may wonder about cellphones, around 6 million North Korean citizens own them but I'm sure you can guess who runs the service. If you guessed the North Korean Government then you get a gold star. 

    Let's take a look at a government run news publication called Uriminzokkiri. This publication is all about the glory of North Korean and their "Glorious Supreme Leader", Kim Jong Un. If you live under a rock, Kim Jong Un is the dictator in charge of the country. "The guy from The Interview?"...... yes and no. Luckily English was a language choice available for this site because my Korean skills are about like my French skills, absolutely nonexistent. Upon first review it looks very outdated. This site is reminiscent of something you might see on a late night browsing the web on your clunky home computer via a dial-up connection in 2006. The page operates at an absolute snails pace with pictures loading in incrementally even with a solid internet connection. Three out of the five main headlines on this site were about the Supreme Leader. Scrolling further down reveals he's a hot topic to say the least. There wasn't a single negative thing pertaining to North Korea or it's leader which is to be expected from a government controlled publication. You can smell almost the rampant Nationalism through your laptop screen. They even have a fun little music section in which you can listen to the national songs of the country. Yay for cult like full-band renditions glorifying communism. I'll link in one of the stories I read about Kim Jong Un inspecting damage done by a typhoon and a rehabilitation site. The way he's affectionately painted is indicative of  the fact that this was government written. From the way they spoke people were eagerly awaiting the honor of seeing him. Maybe they were, that likely depends on how thoroughly their brain has been shaped by pro government propaganda and media. Forgive me if I sounds biased as I write but it's clear there will be no useful info on the strife of the people in relation to the Korean Government on this page. They can paint anyone as a villain but themselves it seems. Oddly enough there are social media links on this site as well. Apperently the North Korean Government is active on Twitter, who knew? I couldn't gather much from the tweets since my software was having trouble translating it but it was certainly interesting to see. They even have a presence on Weibo, one of Asia's premiere social media sites as well

    Inversely let's take a look at NK News. What makes this outlet for North Korean news different? It's written from and American standpoint, the outside looking in. Most of the stories I see on this page relate to foreign policy and interaction that North Korea has with the U.S. and it's allies. A big topic is how Biden will handle the cantankerous relationship that we halfway maintain with North Korea. This publication does something the other would never even dream of, mentioning Kim Jong Un's subtle worries of a military coup. In the story it claims he has made changes to quell this hypothetical coup before it even came to fruition. It also said he fears a coup more than a people's revolt. This likely comes from the overinflated confidence he has in his own military, a humble brag if you will. Much of the information in the stories on this site are treated as unconfirmed using words like "possible" and "supposed" frequently due to the lack of information flowing from North Korea. One story was bold enough to use the words "Kim-worshipping fanboy" in an article in reference to the governments portrayal of a famous poet. This was also pretty shocking. In North Korea talk like that would get you "목장으로 보냈다", or in English; sent to the ranch. For those of you who aren't familiar with this euphemism this means you disappear never to be seen again. 

    For the sake of concluding statements I'll propose the question, "which would be better for obtaining information on North Korea?". To that I say, it could go either way. If it isn't anything that paints North Korea or it's leader in a negative light it would stand to reason a story might be written about it on the first site, but keep in mind there's always a government agenda and bias regardless of topic. The other source would be fine for information about foreign relations with North Korea but due to their lack of access inside the actual country I would research events within North Korea more thoroughly even if mentioned on NK News.