South Korea’s Ministry of Unification announced on Monday that North Korea has switched the transmission of its national television broadcasting from a Chinese satellite to a Russian satellite. This move, which took effect on June 29th, has seen North Korea’s Central Television Network (KCTV) signal now being transmitted via the Russian satellite Express 103 instead of the ChinaSat 12 satellite.
This shift in satellite usage comes following a strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea during President Putin’s visit to Pyongyang in mid-June. The two countries signed a treaty aiming to deepen cooperation across various sectors, including media and information dissemination, along with a mutual defense commitment.
Despite the ability to still watch North Korean television online after the switch to the Russian satellite, there may be delays or lower quality in the signal. Furthermore, due to the smaller coverage area of the Express-103 compared to ChinaSat-12, the number of viewers able to receive the broadcasts has significantly decreased.
Since Monday morning, news agencies like Reuters have reported an inability to receive North Korean television signals. This change marks a peculiar decision for a service that was supposed to showcase meticulously planned propaganda images to the world, contributing to the regime’s “positive” image.
As Russia and North Korea deepen their relationship, China appears to take on a more passive role as an “onlooker.” While trade between North Korea and China has somewhat rebounded since the easing of border quarantine measures last year, political engagements with North Korea have primarily leaned towards Russia.
During a summit in May, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang engaged in discussions on the North Korean nuclear issue with leaders from South Korea and Japan. This led to a rare public condemnation of China by North Korea.
Although China, along with Russia, has prevented further sanctions against North Korea at the United Nations Security Council, the abstention vote during the extension of monitoring of sanctions enforcement signaled a nuanced stance from China.
Experts, like Tong Zhao from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, suggest that China’s reservation towards North Korea’s deepening military cooperation with Russia stems from a concern that it could undermine Beijing’s near-monopoly on geopolitical influence over North Korea.
The United States, South Korea, and other countries have accused North Korea of providing substantial military aid to Russia in recent months. As reported by North Korea’s official Rodong Sinmun newspaper during Putin’s visit, Kim Jong Un expressed full support and solidarity with the Russian military.
Niklas Swanstrom, Director of the Institute for Security and Development Policy in Sweden, highlighted to Reuters that while China prioritizes trade and economic reconstruction, it has larger concerns at play.
Despite escalating diplomatic and trade conflicts between China and the US, America, Japan, and South Korea maintained their positions as Beijing’s top trading partners last year.
KCTV had been broadcasting high-definition signals via ChinaSat-12 since 2020, covering the entire Asian region. However, on Monday morning, satellite viewers noticed the channel’s disappearance.
According to data from the Lyngsat website, which shares a global satellite broadcast list, at some point around or after Putin’s visit, KCTV was detected on the Express-103 satellite.
Operated by the Russian Satellite Communications Company, Express-103’s coverage area is significantly smaller than ChinaSat-12, leading to a substantial reduction in the viewership of the broadcast.
While no official announcement regarding any changes has been made by North Korea’s state media, similar adjustments were noted when KCTV shifted to ChinaSat-12 in 2020.
It is evident that KCTV’s primary audience may not be extensive; however, analysts, foreign government officials, media outlets, and North Korea’s overseas diplomatic missions closely monitor it.
Government agencies and media in South Korea monitor North Korea’s state media. An official from South Korea’s Ministry of Unification confirmed, “North Korea has ceased using an existing Chinese satellite and has started broadcasting programs through a Russian satellite, resulting in restricted satellite reception in some areas here.” He added that efforts were underway to address this technical issue.
Currently, the channel’s second satellite stream, which broadcasts via the international communication satellite Intelsat-21 to the Americas and Europe, remains unaffected.
Earlier this year, as part of North Korea’s new policy towards South Korea, the main online source of KCTV imagery, the Uriminzokkiri website, was shut down, leading to restricted reach of KCTV imagery dissemination.