.jpg)
Television in North Korea is subject to theKorean Central Broadcasting Committee and controlled by thePropaganda and Agitation Department of theWorkers' Party of Korea.[1] A study in 2017 found that 98% of households had a television set.[2] As of 2020, there areover-the-air broadcasts in bothanalogue and recently launcheddigital formats.[3]
Television in North Korea uses aPAL576iSystems D and K analog signal transmission system and4:3 aspect ratio. Before 1993, North Korea was operating on theSECAM television system, which also uses 576i at 4:3.[4] The four major television channels —Korean Central Television,Mansudae, Athletic Television andRyongnamsan — broadcast over the air, as well as on acable television system inPyongyang;[5] these channels are also available in a special app found on the government issuedSamjiyon tablet computers,[6] as well as on theManbangIPTV service.
North Korea usesDVB-T2 for Digital Terrestrial Television. Trials began in 2012.[7][8] As of 2020, multipleset-top box models were available, giving access to the four broadcast channels.[3] As of 2025, only Mansudae still broadcasts instandard definition, the other channels broadcast inhigh definition.[9]
Television sets sold in North Korea are able to operate only on the PAL and DVB-T2 systems, to prevent them from being able to pick up broadcasts from South Korea (which useNTSC System M analogue andATSC digital) or China (which usesDTMB digital). However, broadcasts from Russia can be picked up, as they are also DVB-T2. Imported TV sets that are able to operate on both PAL and NTSC, such as those from Japan, have their NTSC abilities disabled by the government on import.[10]
As of August 16, 2016, there were four television channels in North Korea. All arestate-owned and usually last fromdaytime toprime time.
| External videos | |
|---|---|
| Korean Central Television | |
 "Development of Television under Kim Jong Il"; excerpt from North Korean television on the development of KCTV in the 1980s and 1990s |
This is the oldest and main television channel in North Korea, and it started regular broadcasting in 1963. As of 2017, it is the only North Korean TV channel broadcasting to the outside world via satellite television and IPTV aside from domestic transmissions. On satellite, KCTV is available instandard definition as well as inFull HD.[11] Since December 4, 2017, a test air broadcast in the format 16:9 SDTV was started.[12]
Mansudae Television broadcasts cultural programming, foreign films (dubbed into Korean), European football, international news and educational material with the occasional advert toPyongyang.[9][13] It opened on December 1, 1973. The Mansudae TV Broadcasting Station broadcasts three hours (19:00–22:00) on Fridays and Saturdays, and nine hours (10:00–13:00, 16:00–22:00) on Sundays.[14][9]
| External media | |
|---|---|
| Ryongnamsan Television | |
| Images | |
 Screenshot of 16:9 testcard | |
| Video | |
| Video recording of Ryongnamsan TV testcard with background music |
Ryongnamsan Television (룡남산텔레비죤) is an educational channel provided by University Student TV Department of Korea Radio and Television.[15] The de facto director of this channel is Yang Chun Won.
The channel started broadcasting on April 1, 1971, under the name "Kaesong". On October 10, 1991, that channel transitioned to color broadcasting. On 1 February 1997 (some sources say 16 February 1997), the channel was rebranded as the "Korean Educational and Cultural Network".[16] According to theNorth Korea Handbook, the rebranding was connected with the 55th anniversary ofKim Jong Il.[not specific enough to verify] The channel was broadcast on Channel 9 in Pyongyang from 18:00 to 22:00 on weekdays.[3] Also in the 1990s, the television station carried out experimental broadcasting from the television tower inKaesong on Channel 8 in the NTSC-M format, as a way to promote North Korean culture among South Korean viewers. Channel 8 was chosen to prevent the signal from being jammed by South Korean broadcasters, since in Seoul, Channels 7 and 9 were used forKBS2 andKBS1 until that country's analogue shutdown on December 31, 2012. KBS1 and KBS2 were also broadcast in the demilitarized zone on Channels 29 and 28, respectively, although their signal was jammed by the North Korean government.
On September 5, 2012, the channel received its current name.[17] Its schedule includes science documentaries in English, television lectures and educational programs for learning foreign languages.[15] The channel is available for viewing to students of all universities of Pyongyang. The station broadcasts on Channel 9 from the Pyongyang TV tower, on the Manbang IPTV service,[18] and on apps on Samjiyon tablets. It is available weekdays from 18:00 to 22:00.[9]
| External image | |
|---|---|
| The DPRK Sport Television | |
| The Sport Television testcards (4:3 on center and fragment of 16:9 on the right) |
Athletic Television [zh] (Cheyug TV,체육텔레비죤), also called Sport TV, is the sports channel launched on August 15, 2015.[19] Athletic Television presents sports competitions, primarily domestic, and documentaries and programs about the history of sports in North Korea and the world.[9][20][21] The channel broadcasts on Saturdays and Sundays from 18:00 to 22:00.[9]
Frequency plan ofPyongyang TV Tower (2015)[6] and theManbang IPTV channels (2016). TheVHF channels utilize System D and theUHF frequencies are System K.
| Frequency channel | Manbang IPTV system | TV channel | Transmitter power (kW) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 (93.25 MHz)[citation needed] | 2 | Mansudae Television | 350 |
| 6 (175.25 MHz)[citation needed] | 4 | Athletic Television | 250 |
| 9 (199.25 MHz) | 3 | Ryongnamsan Television | 140 |
| 12 (223.25 MHz) | 1 | Korean Central Television | 700 |
| 25 (503.25 MHz) | - | (planned) | |
| 31 (551.25 MHz) | - | (planned) |
The programming content has changed over the years. International news is broadcast and documentaries are aired often and are usually on the topic of health, Korean and world history and geography.[22] Since 2012, weather forecasting has become more accurate.[23]
Broadcasting
Russian:Вопреки расхожему мнению, в Пхеньяне, по крайней мере, люди смотрят не один канал в рабочие дни и два - по выходным. В гостях, где мы были, есть кабельное ТВ и при нас каналов было четыре.
