Editor’s note: The following article is an opinion piece by Rob York, director for regional affairs at the Pacific Forum. Views expressed in opinion articles are exclusively the author’s own and do not represent those of NK News.

South Korea announced this week that it will allow all citizens to read North Korea’s main newspaper at select locations without requiring verification steps, a welcome if exceedingly modest first step toward easing decades-old restrictions on DPRK state media.

On the one hand, opening access shows just how far the Republic of Korea has come, now confident enough in its economic might