Propaganda and media in North Korea

Media

What North Koreans can watch

177th

Of 180 for press freedom

Reporters Without Borders, 2024. Source

TV channels

All state-run. Main channel KCTV is usually off air until the 5pm news on weekdays. Source

Pre-tuned

Radios

Sold fixed to state stations and registered with the police. Source

Internet for ordinary people

Only Kwangmyong, a closed national network. More

The cult

The Party's Propaganda and Agitation Department runs it all - now under Kim Yo Jong.

Every home

Portraits of the leaders

Pictures of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il hang in homes, offices and classrooms. Source

20 m

Kim statues on Mansu Hill

Bronze statues in central Pyongyang where visitors must bow. Source

KCNA, Rodong Sinmun, KCTV

The news agency, the Party newspaper and state TV - where every announcement starts. Source

2026

Kim Jong Un murals appear

For the first time, giant portraits of the current leader were reported in July 2026. Source

The info war

USB sticks

Smuggled K-dramas

Flash drives carry South Korean shows north - despite the death penalty. Source

2024

Loudspeakers back

Seoul restarted broadcasts across the DMZ in June 2024; the North answered with its own. Seoul switched off again in June 2025. Source

Who runs it, the military, energy, daily life and more.

Sources

Figures are public estimates and may be dated - North Korea publishes almost no statistics.