[EXCLUSIVE] Seoul halts plans to lift ban on North Korean media

A man reads a copy of the Rodong Sinmun, North Korea's official newspaper, at a subway station in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this March 11, 2019 file photo. South Korea halted plans to lift a ban on public access to North Korean media content, according to sources contacted by The Korea Times. AFP-Yonhap

Strong opposition from rightwing groups forces gov't to step backBy Jung Min-ho

Faced with strong opposition from conservatives, the South Korean government decided to halt plans to lift a ban on public access to North Korean media content, sources said, Thursday.

According to two high-ranking officials familiar with the issue, the Ministry of Unification recently stopped taking steps to lift the ban after concluding that it failed to garner enough political and public support.

The policy was presented as a pivotal initiative in the ministry's annual work plan reported to President Yoon Suk Yeol for both 2022 and 2023, aimed at "reestablishing commonality" with the North.

When questioned about the inclusion of the media access project in the 2024 report, an official told The Korea Times that it is unlikely, emphasizing the need to "garner additional support" before determining the next course of action. Another official also said the ministry “has clearly taken a step back.”

The officials said conservative politicians and activists expressed worries about lifting the ban on what is nothing but a platform dedicated to promoting the regime in Pyongyang with propaganda and blatant lies.

Given that such criticism comes mostly from the right, the policy is not expected to gain traction even if the conservative ruling People Power Party regains a majority in the National Assembly. The liberal main opposition Democratic Party of Korea has long been more open to making changes to the National Security Act ― a law that de facto bans individuals from gaining direct access to such content.

All this means North Korean media is expected to continue to be blocked in South Korea.

The policy was pursued under Kwon Young-se, the predecessor of Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho. But his efforts to gradually give the public access to North Korean newspapers, television programs and internet articles immediately faced objection from some lawmakers within his own party and vocal activists, who saw such content as a threat.

After struggling to make progress, ministry officials said early this year that they would focus their efforts on allowing more access to the North's state-run newspaper first ― a task that seemed more attainable than authorizing South Koreans to view Pyongyang's TV or online content.

The plan was to designate more than a dozen institutes under the ministry as places where South Koreans could be allowed to read Rodong Sinmun, North Korea’s official newspaper, and to expand the number of such places. But the plan has been virtually scrapped.

In a sign of shifting from that policy, the current unification minister said at a meeting with reporters on Sept. 14 that it is important for Pyongyang to respond reciprocally to Seoul’s initiatives.

Supporters of the policy believe the ban is obsolete and only benefits the dictatorial regime, which shuns ― and fears ― any type of transparency. They say it is North Korean leaders, not South Korean citizens, who should be afraid of increased openness.

Experts say there was a period in the past when North Korean propaganda was a significant threat to South Korea, which used to be economically poorer than the North. But South Korea today is incomparably more prosperous and influential than its totalitarian rival ― a fact that raises questions over whether the country still needs such a ban.