COVER | ONLINE RESOURCES | PYONGYANG PANGSONG

National Radio Broadcasting

North Korean domestic radio broadcasting is delivered by both over-the-air radio plus a unique system of cable radio which allows the regime to narrowcast directly into homes and workplaces as well as transmitting sensitive or strategic value programming; such as information and secret instructions to the masses that would be broadcast during a military drill or conflict.

North Korean national radio is more structured than radio in most other countries and is subjected to a multi-layered censorship and vetting process to ensure ideological soundness before any content is presented on air. The result is that very little live radio broadcasting is heard and the stations don't follow the concept of a disk jockey or announcer providing continuity between songs and segments. Music programs typically present propaganda tunes either praising the Kim family, the Workers Party or promoting nationalistic themes. Usually, a series of songs are played with few or no announcements between each number.

News bulletins are usually readings taken directly from official regime print media with commentary and editorials read from the Rodong Sinmun and other official publications. News headlines without exception always include references to Kim Jong Un, Kim Il Sung or Kim Jong Il.

Recording Radio in North Korea

Any North Korean citizen who attempts to access foreign broadcasts to seek information from the outside world risks being interned in one of the state’s notorious prison camps. North Korean radio sets don't feature tunning dials and are pre-tuned to the regime's radio networks to prevent North Koreans from listening to unauthorized stations.

Visitors to North Korea are strictly forbidden to bring into the country any radios or other communications equipment. The result is that little information about the propaganda based local radio system of the country has been gathered. Behind the Curtain has smuggled monitoring and recording equipment to capture the propaganda broadcast media used by the regime as a prime instrument of control over the population.

Pyongyang Pangsong
(Radio Pyongyang)

Radio Pyongyang, (Pyongyang Pangsong / Pyongyang Broadcasting Station / PBS), operates as a semi-domestic Korean language “autonomous region” network intended primarily for Koreans in South Korea, Japan, and China. It is believed that the station operates from studios co-located with the KCBS domestic service at Jeonseung-dong in the Moranbong district of Pyongyang.


In Pyongyang, the station broadcasts on 96.7 MHz and 106.5 MHz FM as well as 657 kHz medium-wave.

The transmissions intended for South Koreans and ethnic Koreans in China and Japan are broadcast on both medium-wave and shortwave. South Korea typically jams the medium-wave and shortwave frequencies; however, the signals can be heard above the jamming in Japan, North-East China, Far-East Russia, and beyond.

The signals are also frequently received reliably across the Asia-Pacific region at night on their strongest shortwave frequency of 6100 kHz which transmits from the Kanggye shortwave site with a power of 250 kW.