What if North Korea stops publishing state media for international audiences?

What If?

What if North Korea stops publishing state media for international audiences?

Paranoia about leaks could compel regime to curtail access, cutting off key source of information about DPRK

Chad O'Carroll July 22, 2022

What if North Korea stops publishing state media for international audiences?

North Koreans read the party-run Rodong Sinmun newspaper in the Pyongyang subway on Oct. 6, 2016 | Image: NK News (edited)

Editor’s note: What If? is an NK News series featuring scenarios about North Korea’s future. Articles in this series draw on verified facts and rigorous analysis to explore hypothetical events in the years and decades ahead.

It’s Feb. 2024 — four years after North Korea closed its borders due to COVID-19 — and the Ministry of State Security has expanded its influence to become one of the most powerful agencies in the DPRK government.

About the Author

Chad O'Carroll

Chad O'Carroll is the founder of NK News/NK Pro and related holding company Korea Risk Group. In addition to being the group's CEO, O'Carroll is a frequent writer and commentator about the Koreas, having written about the two nations since 2010. He has visited the DPRK multiple times, worked and lived in Washington, D.C. with a focus on peninsula issues, and lived in the ROK since 2016.

View more articles by Chad O'Carroll EMAIL Twitter Got a news tip?Let us know!