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5d ago

South Korea Moves to Open Public Access to North Korea’s Rodong Sinmun

Officials plan reclassification next week to allow print access, with online access still blocked pending legal review.

This undated file photo shows the Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of North Korea's ruling Worker's Party. (Yonhap)
A man reads North Korea's Rodong Sinmun newspaper on a digital monitor at a metro station in Pyongyang
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Overview

  • An interagency meeting led by the Unification Ministry and the National Intelligence Service agreed to reclassify Rodong Sinmun from special material to general material.
  • The government will issue the necessary administrative notices early next week to permit broader public access to the newspaper’s print edition.
  • Online access to Rodong Sinmun and about 60 North Korean websites remains blocked under the Information and Communications Network Act.
  • The NIS says it will support related legislation and proactively review opening North Korean websites, which would require review by the Korea Communications Standards Commission.
  • The NIS plans to abolish its 1970 guideline and transfer management of North Korea‑related materials to the Unification Ministry following President Lee Jae Myung’s call to loosen restrictions.