North Korea has started broadcasting state television from a Russian satellite after years of using a Chinese one, Seoul’s unification ministry has confirmed, a move that experts said represents a new stage of bilateral cooperation but poses new challenges for monitoring state media.

A ministry spokesperson told NK News that some areas of South Korea are experiencing interruptions to broadcasts of Korean Central Television (KCTV) as a result of the change.

North Korea has “discontinued the use of the existing Chinese satellite and is now broadcasting via a Russian satellite,” they said, adding that the ministry is monitoring DPRK broadcasts