In North Korea’s tightly controlled media sphere, the Kims are always making headlines.
In a bizarre, 2,743-word statement, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) justified yesterday's execution of Jang Song Thaek, the uncle and former confidant of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Kim Hong-Ji / Reuters
Calling Jang "worse than a dog," KCNA mused that he "pretended to uphold the party and leader but was engrossed in such factional acts (such) as dreaming different dreams and involving himself in double-dealing behind the scene."
Such strangely worded statements are a trademark of North Korea's state media machine — putting the propaganda of other authoritarian governments to shame.
North Korea has one of the world's most repressive media environments. The state owns all domestic news outlets, and strictly limits access to outside information. The internet is for all purposes banned. All journalists must be members of the ruling Workers Party of Korea. The penal code makes listening to unauthorized foreign broadcasts and possession of dissenting publications a crime against the state. Violators face punishments including hard labor, prison sentences and the death penalty.
It's no surprise, therefore, that North Korea has institutionalized a prosaically propagandistic media style. These charts by KCNA Watch show the top countries to reach KCNA readers.
KCNA Watch / Via kcnawatch.nknews.org
Here's a look at "Kim output" over time.
KCNA Watch / Via kcnawatch.nknews.org
