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North Korea's Mesmerising State Television

The Mesmerising World Of North Korean State Television

The announcement of North Korea’s first allegedly successful Hydrogen Bomb test has come with the usual gusto from the official state broadcaster Korean Central Television (KCTV).

Run by the Korean Central Broadcasting Committee, KCTV provides the only state approved news to the citizens of the authoritarian nation.

For the North Korean viewer however news is not the only programme on the box. Whilst all media is state approved comrades can tune in to watch a range of entertainment shows from children’s television to a recently launched dedicated sports channel.

These clips provide a unique insight into the weird experience of everyday life for North Korea’s residents.

This clip from 2013 from a Kids TV programme shows an elderly bearded gentleman reciting a fairy-tale to eager children. The story (going by the slides) appears to be about a sad flying tiger who is tormented by magical chestnuts.

Halfway through the clip a ‘shouty’ child hands ‘his’ drawing to the presenter. It shows a North Korean tank firing multi-coloured rockets at American planes.

The North Korean government proudly launched their first ski resort on New Year’s Day 2014. This clip from the Korean Central News Agency proudly shows the launch complete with ribbon cutting, the release of balloons and a full military band.

The resort itself allegedly features 10 runs (although only one is shown here) and several shops, where you can buy salopettes for the low price of $1000.

Despite the resort’s shortcomings the video shows genuine joy and excitement from many of the residents featured. This is from a country which Human Rights Watch has described as “among the most harshly repressive countries in the world”.

Over on Korean Central Television, North Korean music fans can combine their love of Pop with their dedication to the military. The broadcast features an all-girl synth-pop outfit who resemble The Pet Shop Boys if they were ever to be main characters in a George Orwell novel.

Some of the ladies stand on tanks whilst video of military operations rolls on in the background. Meanwhile the formal audience ominously claps slowly in time to the music.

The videos most telling moment (1:06) shows a seemingly nervous lady in pink clapping along whilst mouthing the lyrics - providing a rare glance into life under the Kim regime.