Why North Korean state media delicately dances around taboo topics



Columns Why North Korean state media delicately dances around taboo topics Marketplaces, central supply networks and even census data are all off-limits, sometimes for reasons entirely unclear Andrei Lankov October 18, 2022 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON Two announcers from state-run Korean Central Television introduce an international art festival to celebrate Kim Il Sung’s 110th birthday \| Image: KCTV (April 10, 2022) Communist countries have never been known for openness, but even judged by such standards, North Korea looks very secretive. All economic statistics, for example, have been kept confidential unless explicitly declared otherwise by the relevant authorities. From North Korean publications one cannot learn how many trucks and buses are in the country, what the prevalence of diseases is, and who holds key positions in the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) Central Committee bureaucracy. Communist countries have never been known for openness, but even judged by such standards, North Korea looks very secretive. All economic statistics, for example, have been kept confidential unless explicitly declared otherwise by the relevant authorities. From North Korean publications one cannot learn how many trucks and buses are in the country, what the prevalence of diseases is, and who holds key positions in the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) Central Committee bureaucracy. Become a member for less than $5.75 per week. Unlimited access to all of NK News: reporting, investigations, analysis The NK News Daily Update, an email newsletter to keep you in the loop Searchable archive of all content, photo galleries, special columns Contact NK News reporters with tips or requests for reporting Get unlimited access to all NK News content, including original reporting, investigations, and analyses by our team of DPRK experts. Subscribe now All major cards accepted. No commitments – you can cancel any time. © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. Get the Daily Update Start your day with the North Korea stories that matter most – as selected by And how should we address you in correspondence? One more step! Please check your inbox, for an email we just sent you, and click on the confirmation message in it to get subscribed to our Daily News Update. Trending

Columns

Why North Korean state media delicately dances around taboo topics

Marketplaces, central supply networks and even census data are all off-limits, sometimes for reasons entirely unclear

Andrei Lankov October 18, 2022

Why North Korean state media delicately dances around taboo topics

Two announcers from state-run Korean Central Television introduce an international art festival to celebrate Kim Il Sung’s 110th birthday | Image: KCTV (April 10, 2022)

Communist countries have never been known for openness, but even judged by such standards, North Korea looks very secretive.

All economic statistics, for example, have been kept confidential unless explicitly declared otherwise by the relevant authorities. From North Korean publications one cannot learn how many trucks and buses are in the country, what the prevalence of diseases is, and who holds key positions in the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) Central Committee bureaucracy.

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Andrei Lankov

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