science

Television in North Korea

Television in North Korea is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Television in North Korea rather than just read about it. In short: Television in North Korea (officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea) is subject to the Korean Central Broadcasting Committee and controlled by the Propaganda and Agitation Department of the Workers' Party of Korea, which control all television channels broadcast in North Korea. A study in 2017 found that 98% of households had a television set.

Key takeaways

Television in North Korea belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Television in North Korea to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Television in North Korea from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Television in North Korea (officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea) is subject to the Korean Central Broadcasting Committee and controlled by the Propaganda and Agitation Department of the Workers' Party of Korea, which control all television channels broadcast in North Korea. A study in 2017 found that 98% of households had a television set. As of 2020, there are over-the-air broadcasts in both analogue and recently launched digital formats. Television officially started in North Korea with the launch of Korean Central Television on 3 March 1963, which remains the primary channel. North Korea currently uses the PAL system for analog broadcasts and DVB for digital, which makes receiving (particularly) South Korean and Chinese television signals difficult for most North Koreans.

Technological data Television in North Korea uses a PAL 576i Systems D and K analog signal transmission system and 4:3 aspect ratio. Before 1993, North Korea was operating on the SECAM television system, which also uses 576i at 4:3. The four major television channels — Korean Central Television, Mansudae, Athletic Television and Ryongnamsan — broadcast over the air, as well as on a cable television system in Pyongyang; these channels are also available in a special app found on the government issued Samjiyon tablet computers, as well as on the Manbang IPTV service. North Korea uses DVB-T2 for Digital Terrestrial Television. Trials began in 2012. As of 2020, multiple set-top box models were available, giving access to the four broadcast channels. As of 2025, only Mansudae still broadcasts in standard definition; the other channels broadcast in high definition. 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 use NTSC System M analogue and ATSC digital) or China (which uses DTMB 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.

Television channels As of 16 August 2016, there were four television channels in North Korea. All are state-owned and usually last from daytime to prime time.

Korean Central Television

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 in standard definition as well as in Full HD. Since 4 December 2017, a test air broadcast in the format 16:9 SDTV was started.

Mansudae Television

Mansudae Television broadcasts cultural programming, foreign films (dubbed into Korean), European football, international news and educational material with the occasional advert to Pyongyang. It opened on 1 December 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.

Ryongnamsan Television

Ryongnamsan Television (룡남산텔레비죤) is an educational channel provided by University Student TV Department of Korea Radio and Television. The de facto director of this channel is Yang Chun Won. The channel started broadcasting on 1 April 1971, under the name "Kaesong". On 10 October 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". According to the North Korea Handbook, the rebranding was connected with the 55th anniversary of Kim Jong Il. The channel was broadcast on Channel 9 in Pyongyang from 18:00 to 22:00 on weekdays. Also in the 1990s, the television station carried out experimental broadcasting from the television tower in Kaesong 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 for KBS2 and KBS1 until that country's analogue shutdown on 31 December 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 5 September 2012, the channel received its current name. Its schedule includes science documentaries in English, television lectures and educational programs for learning foreign languages. 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, and on apps on Samjiyon tablets. It is available weekdays from 18:00 to 22:00.

Athletic Television

Athletic Television (Cheyug TV, 체육텔레비죤), also called Sport TV, is the sports channel launched on 15 August 2015. Athletic Television presents sports competitions, primarily domestic, and documentaries and programs about the history of sports in North Korea and the world. The channel broadcasts on Saturdays and Sundays from 18:00 to 22:00.

Pyongyang TV Tower Frequency plan of Pyongyang TV Tower (2015) and the Manbang IPTV channels (2016). The VHF channels utilize System D and the UHF frequencies are System K.

Content 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. Since 2012, weather forecasting has become more accurate.

Illustrations

Logo of Ryongnansam Television

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Television in North Korea

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Television in North Korea claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Television in North Korea before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Television in North Korea ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Television in North Korea

In research: Television in North Korea appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Television in North Korea in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Television in North Korea is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Television by country, Television in North Korea, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Television in North Korea outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “Television in North Korea” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Television in North Korea in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Television in North Korea means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Television in North Korea out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Television in North Korea in simple terms?

Why does Television in North Korea matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Television in North Korea?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Television in North Korea.