NK News is an American subscription-based news website that provides stories and analysis aboutNorth Korea. The organization's main bureau is inSeoul, South Korea, with reporters inWashington, D.C., andLondon.[1] Reporting is based on information collected from in-country sources, recently returned western visitors to North Korea, stories filed by theKorean Central News Agency (KCNA), interviews with defectors, and reports published byNGOs and western governments. The site's founder and Managing Director is Chad O'Carroll, a former employee of theGerman Marshall Fund, who has written on North Korea and North Korea issues forThe Daily Telegraph.[2][3]
Ask a North Korean: a forum whereby readers can submit questions about daily life in North Korea which are answered by a panel of four defectors. The column coveringJang Song-thaek's execution[4] received particular attention.
Expert Survey: in which various Korean and Western experts on the politics, economics and history of North Korea provide answers to a questionnaire covering various aspects of North Korea's current situation and future prospects.[5]
Defector Survey: asking various North Korean defectors about daily life inside North Korea and their opinions on subjects such as tourism in North Korea, foreign aid and the things that defectors miss most after leaving.[6]
NK News' sister platform, NK Pro, goes beyond the function of a news outlet and also provides subscription-based data analysis tools designed for use by experts and analysts in public and private sector research and analysis postings. These tools include the North Korea Leadership Tracker, the North Korea Ship Tracker, the North Korea Aviation Tracker, Leading Indicators, andKCNA Watch.[7] Free of charge, KCNA Watch allows users to watch both archives and live streams ofKorean Central Television.[8]
NK News gained international headlines in November 2012 for its "North Korean Leadership Tracker," which presents a graphic visualization of every eventKim Jong Il and his sonKim Jong Un have attended since 1994.[9][10] The following year, NK News was credited with breaking news of a purported North Korean "strike plan" against U.S. targets, based on analysis of a photo published by North Korean media,[11] and the site was subsequently named byKTXL news anchor Paul Robins as his "pick of the day."[12]
In early 2014, NK News was partially blocked by the government ofSouth Korea, ostensibly for violating the nation'sNational Security Law, a censorship regulation that prohibits some reports originating from North Korea.[16]
In November 2014, NK News published a series of accusations by the formerAssociated Press stringerNate Thayer, suggesting that the AP bureau in Pyongyang had signed secret agreements with the North Korean government that compromised its journalistic independence and integrity.[17] AP denied the reports, and said that Thayer was merely a disgruntled former employee.[18]
In March 2025,North Korean state media accused NK News and its sister sites of claimed copyright infringement of websites run by North Korea andChongryon.[21]
Alek Sigley, an Australian national who was a graduate student of Korean literature atKim Il Sung University, contributed articles about daily life inPyongyang.[23] In June 2019, Sigley wasdetained and deported after being accused of espionage.[24] The following year, he would go on to deny these charges and claimed that his confession was coerced.[25]
