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]

Open air display of Korean Central Television in Pyongyang

Technological data

Television in North Korea uses a PAL 576i 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. [3] The main signal transmission means it is terrestrial broadcasting, but Pyongyang has its own cable TV.[4] The four major television channels – Korean Central Television, Mansudae, Athletic Television and Ryongnamsan – as of 2014 are available in a special app found on the government issued Samjiyon tablet computers.[5] Television sets sold in North Korea are only able to operate on the PAL system, to prevent them from being able to pick up broadcasts from the south. 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.[6]

North Korea uses DVB-T2 for Digital Terrestrial Television. Trials began in 2012.[7][8] As of 2020, multiple models of set-top box were available, giving access to four broadcast channels.[9]

Television channels

As of August 16, 2016, there are four television channels in North Korea. All are state-owned.

Korean Central Television
External video
Korean Central Television
"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 television channel in North Korea, and it started regular broadcasting in 1963. As of 2017, it's the only North Korean TV channel broadcasting to the outside world via satellite television 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
Logo of Ryongnansam Televisión
External media
Ryongnamsan Television
Images
Screenshot of 4:3 testcard
Screenshot of 16:9 testcard
Video
Video recording of Ryongnamsan TV testcard with background music

Ryongnamsan Television is an educational channel provided by University Student TV Department of Korea Radio and Television.[14] De facto the director of this channel is Yang Chun Won.

  • The channel started broadcasting on April 1, 1971 under the name "Kaesong". On October 10, 1991, that channel has transitioned to color broadcasting. On 1 (according to other data 16) February 1997, the first rebranding of the TV channel was made "Korean Educational and Cultural Network".[15] According to the data presented in the book "North Korea Handbook", the rebranding was connected with the 55th anniversary of Kim Jong-il. The channel's airtime was presented on the Channel 9 frequency in Pyongyang from 17:00 to 22:00 on weekdays and from 12:00 to 22:00 on weekends. Also in the 1990s, the television station carried out experimental broadcasting from the television tower in Kaesong on Channel 8 frequency using a single North Korean transmitter tuned to NTSC format. The purpose of this broadcast was to promote North Korean culture among South Korean viewers. The frequency of Channel 8 was chosen to prevent the signal from being jammed by South Korean broadcasters, since in Seoul, frequencies of Channels 7 and 9 were occupied by KBS2 and KBS1 TV channels until December 31, 2012, respectively, and at the same time the time KBS1 and KBS2 were broadcast in the demilitarized zone by frequencies of Channels 29 and 28, respectively, although their signal was muted by the DPRK. On September 5, 2012 the channel received its modern name, and the concept of broadcasting was changed.[16]
  • Grid-based broadcast television make popular science films in English, television lectures and educational programs for learning foreign languages.[14] The channel is available for viewing to students of all the universities of Pyongyang. Broadcasting is carried out on Channel 9 frequency from the Pyongyang TV tower, on the Manbang IPTV system[17] on the button 3 in the "Air cast" section, as well as in the analog transmitter of the Samjiyon tablet computer.

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

Athletic Television is the sport TV channel established on August 15, 2015.[18] The basis of broadcasting is broadcast sports competitions involving athletes from the DPRK, documentaries and programs about the history of sports in the DPRK and the world and the development of mass sports.[19][20] The channel broadcasts on Saturdays and Sundays from 19:00 to 22:00. At 20:00 PYT, the channel broadcasts the «Podo» news program by Korean Central Television. The same testcard is used on the channel is like to Ryongnamsan TV testcard, but it includes a sports cup and the Korean word "Sport" (Korean: 체육).

Pyongyang TV Tower

Frequency channels plan of Pyongyang TV Tower (2015)[5] and the Manbang IPTV channels (2016):

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)

Using the Soviet/Eastern European (OIRT) VHF bandplan.

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]

See also

References
  1. "Revamp of North Korean Broadcasting System Revealed". english.dailynk.com. 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. https://books.google.ca/books?id=5YjHecPlPS8C&pg=PA260&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false
  4. 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. "North Korean television sets still receive South Korean signals - New Focus International". New Focus International. 30 January 2013. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
  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. Williams, Martyn (16 December 2020). "North Korea's Multi-Channel TV Age". 38 North. The Henry L. Stimson Center. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  10. KCTV launches HD satellite broadcasts — North Korea Tech
  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
  20. 朝鲜体育电视台开播
  21. Salmon, Andrew (4 December 2018). "Going native in the Hermit Kingdom". Asia Times. Archived from the original on 2018-12-20.

Sources
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