North Koreans watch live South Korean TV broadcasts in Sinuiju
Amidst reports that South Korean dramas and movies are spreading throughout North Korea, the country’s younger generation is warming to South Korean culture much more earnestly than the older generations. This is causing a headache for the authorities tasked with trying to stop the spread of South Korean culture by handing out heavy punishments.
“Sinuiju (North Pyongan Province) is close to (the Chinese city of) Dandong, which may mean that (South Korean movies and dramas) are coming in from there. There’s nothing there except for the river, so people with electricity are actively watching that stuff (movies and dramas),” said a Daily NK source based in North Pyongan Province on February 10.
“Some North Koreans are watching Korean videos in real-time. Elderly people generally watch South Korean news while younger people watch movies and dramas.”
North Korea’s state TV broadcasts in the PAL format as standard while South Korea employs the NTSC format. These two systems are not compatible with each other, so North Koreans cannot watch South Korean broadcasts on their TVs. Some North Koreans, however, are able to watch South Korean broadcasts after manually altering TVs manufactured in Japan to catch broadcast signals. Others use imported Chinese TVs that are compatible with both systems.
Sinuiju is close to Dandong in China’s Liaoning Province, so North Koreans can smuggle in mini-satellite broadcast devices sold cheaply in China to watch South Korean broadcasts. ......
[Source: Daily NK]
