In recent months, the international section of the Rodong Sinmun — the official newspaper of North Korea — has undergone dramatic and even amusing changes.

THE NEWSPAPER OF THE PAST

Historically, the Rodong Sinmun had two separate sections dealing with both South Korean news and international news. Until about 15 years ago, the paper usually dedicated between half a page to one full page to news from South Korea, with another half-page for news covering other countries.

But the South Korean news section disappeared around 2010. It probably reflected a general change of attitude towards the South — by that time,