Based on the limited information available in the early 1990s about the country's telecommunications network, telephone services – an estimated 30,000 telephones in 1985 – mainly were available at government offices, factories, cooperatives, and other workplaces.

North Korea has two AM radio broadcasting networks, Pyongyang Broadcasting Station (Radio Pyongyang) and Korean Central Broadcasting Station, and one FM network, Pyongyang FM Broadcasting Station. All three networks have stations in major cities that offer local programming. There also is a powerful shortwave transmitter for overseas broadcasts in several languages. In the early 1990s, North Korea had an estimated 3.75 million radio sets; most receivers, however, are required by law to be modified to receive only designated frequencies, preventing reception of foreign broadcasts. Mediumwave radio transmissions (sometimes called Medium frequency or MF) are those between the frequencies of 300 kHz and 3000 kHz. ... Voice of Korea is the international broadcasting service of North Korea. ... FM radio is a broadcast technology invented by Edwin Howard Armstrong that uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. ...

Telephone

By 1970 automatic switching facilities were in use in Pyongyang, Sinŭiju, Hamhŭng, and Hyesan. A few public telephone booths were beginning to appear in Pyongyang around 1990. Ordinary citizens do not have private telephone lines. There are international connections via Moscow and Beijing, and in late 1989 international direct dialing service was introduced from Hong Kong. A satellite ground station near Pyongyang provides direct international communications using the International Telecommunications Satellite Corporation (Intelsat) Indian Ocean satellite. A satellite communications center was installed in Pyongyang in 1986 with French technical support. An agreement to share in Japan's telecommunications satellites was reached in 1990. North Korea joined the Universal Postal Union in 1974 but has direct postal arrangements with only a select group of countries. Not to be confused with PyeongChang. ... SinÅ­iju (SinÅ­iju-si) is a city in North Korea, on the border with China and is the capital of North Pyŏngan Province. ... HamhÅ­ng (HamhÅ­ng-si) is North Koreas second largest city, and the capital of South Hamgyŏng Province. ... Hyesan is a city in the northern part of the northern Ryanggang province of North Korea. ... Intelsat, Ltd. ... The Universal Postal Union (UPU, French: Union postale universelle) is an international organization that coordinates postal policies between member nations, and hence the world-wide postal system. ...

Main lines in use: 1.1 million (2001)

Mobile phones

In November 2002, mobile phones were introduced to North Korea and by November 2003, 20,000 North Koreans had bought mobile phones. On May 24, 2004 mobile phones were banned. North Korea supposedly still has a mobile network in Pyongyang which is open for government officials. Foreigners are not allowed to use (and also until recently to keep) mobile phones in North Korea although certain high profile visitors such as leadership from the NY Philharmonic which just visited North Korea in February 2008, have been given rental phones to facilitate direct international communications. These connections are likely closely monitored. is the 144th day of the year (145th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Not to be confused with PyeongChang. ...

Television

Main article: Media of North Korea

Broadcasting in North Korea is tightly controlled by the state and is used as a propaganda arm of the ruling Korean Workers' Party. The Korean Central Television station is located in Pyongyang, and there also are stations in major cities, including Chŏngjin, Kaesŏng, Hamhŭng, Haeju, and Sinŭiju. There are three channels in Pyongyang but only one channel in other cities. Imported Japanese-made color televisions have a North Korean brand name superimposed, but nineteen-inch black-and-white sets have been produced locally since 1980. One estimate places the total number of television sets in use in the early 1990s at 250,000 sets. The constitution provides for freedom of speech and the press; however, the government prohibits the exercise of these rights in practice. ... The Workers Party of Korea (WPK) is the ruling party of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK), commonly known as North Korea. ... Korean Central Television (KCTV) is a national news broadcaster in North Korea and located in Pyongyang, North Korea. ... Kaesong city centre Kaesŏng (Gaeseong) is a city in North Hwanghae Province, North Korea, a former Directly Governed City, and the capital of Korea during the Koryo Dynasty. ... Haeju (Hanja: 海州) is a city in North Korea located in South Hwanghae Province near Haeju Bay. ...

Radio

See also: Voice of Korea

Visitors are not allowed to bring a radio. As part of the government's information blockade policy, North Korean radios and televisions must be modified to only receive government stations. These modified radios and televisions should be registered at special state department. They are also subject to inspection at random. The removal of the official seal is punishable by law. In order to buy a TV-set or a radio, Korean citizens should get special permission from the officials at places of their residence or employment. Voice of Korea is the international broadcasting service of North Korea. ...

The official government station is the Korean Central Broadcasting Station (KCBS), which broadcasts in Korean. In 1997 there were 3.36 million radio sets.

Internet

Main article: Internet in North Korea

See also: Sili Bank and Chollima (website)

North Korea's first Internet cafe opened in 2002 as a joint venture with South Korean internet company Hoonnet. It is connected via a line to China. Foreign visitors can link their computers to the Internet through international phone lines available in a few hotels in Pyongyang. In 2005 a new internet cafe opened in Pyongyang, connected not through China, but through the North Korean satellite link. Content is most likely filtered by North Korean government agencies.^[1][2] In 2003 a joint venture called KCC Europe between business man Jan Holterman in Berlin and the North Korean government brought the commercial Internet to North Korea. The connection is established through a satellite link from North Korea to servers located in Germany. This link ended the need to dial ISPs in China.^[3] Tower-defence.org has reported getting visitors from North Korea on a daily basis. ^[4] It has been suggested that PC bang be merged into this article or section. ... The Korea Computer Center (KCC), was founded in 1990. ... This article is about the capital of Germany. ...

KCC Europe is attempting to regulate the .kp country code top-level domain (ccTLD); as of 2007 its site (kcce.kp) is the only known to be active in the .kp domain. Its IP address resolves not to Asia but to servers at Internet Provider Berlin (ipberlin.com) in the German capital. The Korea Computer Center (KCC), was founded in 1990. ... North Korea has no Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD), but . ... “TLD” redirects here. ... A country code top-level domain (ccTLD) is a top-level domain used and reserved for a country or a dependent territory. ... 2007 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... An IP address (or Internet Protocol address) is a unique address that certain electronic devices use in order to identify and communicate with each other on a computer network utilizing the Internet Protocol standard (IP)—in simpler terms, a computer address. ... For other uses, see Asia (disambiguation). ... This article is about the capital of Germany. ...

References

• This article contains material from the Library of Congress Country Studies, which are United States government publications in the public domain.

1. ^ Foster-Carter, Aidan. "North Korea's tentative telecoms", Asia Times, 2002-07-06. Retrieved on 2007-05-11. 
2. ^ "First Internet Cafe Opens in Pyongyang", The Chosun Ilbo, 2002-05-27. Retrieved on 2007-05-11. 
3. ^ Lintner, Bertil. "North Korea's IT revolution", Asia Times, 2007-04-24. Retrieved on 2007-05-11. 
4. ^ North Korean internet users visiting on a daily basis, Tower-defence.org

The Country Studies are works published by the Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress ( USA), freely available for use by researchers. ... The U.S. Constitution, adopted in 1789 by a constitutional convention, sets down the basic framework of American government in its seven articles. ... The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... is the 187th day of the year (188th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 131st day of the year (132nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... is the 147th day of the year (148th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 131st day of the year (132nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 114th day of the year (115th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 131st day of the year (132nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

See also

• Communications in South Korea
• Media of North Korea
• Radio jamming in Korea
• Economy of North Korea
• List of Korea-related topics
• North Korea Uncovered, (North Korea Google Earth) See most of North Korea's communications facilities, including: The Korea Computer Center, the Pyongyang Television Tower, the KCBS tower, the major communications center in Heaju, as well as satellite communications stations near Pyongyang.