Overview
- An interagency meeting led by the Unification Ministry and the National Intelligence Service reached consensus to shift the Workers’ Party daily from “special” to “general” material.
- The government said formal administrative steps will begin early next week to enable the public to read the Rodong Sinmun in print without the current restrictions.
- Access to the newspaper’s website and roughly 60 other North Korean domains will continue to be blocked under communications law unless separate procedures are completed.
- The NIS told lawmakers it will support legislative efforts, positively review opening North Korean websites, and consider abolishing its decades-old classification guidelines.
- The move follows President Lee Jae Myung’s Dec. 19 criticism of the ban, which currently confines viewing of North Korean materials to designated facilities under strict controls.