1 of 2 | A foreign journalist who covered North Korea’s Punggye-ri nuclear test site demolition reads the Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the country’s Workers’ Party, on a North Korean chartered flight heading to Beijing, China, 26 May 2018. Reporters from South Korea, China, Russia, the United States and Britain were invited to watch the dismantlement of the site, which was carried out on 24 May through a series of explosions over several hours. Photo by YONHAP/EPA
Dec. 26 (Asia Today) — South Korea’s Unification Ministry said Friday it will move ahead next week with administrative steps to make North Korea’s state newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, publicly accessible.
The ministry said a consultative meeting of supervisory agencies held Friday confirmed a consensus to reclassify Rodong Sinmun from “special materials” to “general materials,” clearing the way for broader public access.
Participants in the meeting included the Ministry of Unification, the National Intelligence Service, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Communications Commission.
Following completion of required administrative procedures, including the issuance of official notices to supervisory and handling agencies, the ministry said the reclassification will take effect next week.
Deputy Unification Ministry spokesperson Jang Yun-jeong said earlier Friday that the government has been reviewing ways to expand public access to North Korean materials. She noted that many such materials, including Rodong Sinmun, are currently designated as special materials and can be handled only by authorized agencies.
In a written response submitted Thursday to the office of Yoon Gun-young, the intelligence service said it plans to decide on reclassification through interagency consultations, citing the public’s right to know and the promotion of inter-Korean exchanges.
The Unification Ministry also said it is pushing to amend the Information and Communications Network Act and enact a separate law on the management and use of North Korean materials, a move that would allow access to North Korean websites and publications such as Rodong Sinmun.
President Lee Jae-myung has said the public should not be treated as inherently vulnerable to propaganda or agitation.
The plan has drawn mixed reactions. Some experts have urged a cautious, phased opening of North Korean media, while others have called for countermeasures against Pyongyang’s sophisticated propaganda efforts and warned of potential cybersecurity risks from North Korean websites.
— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.