The South Korean government's unification ministry announced on Monday that North Korea has moved its official TV broadcasts from a Chinese satellite to a Russian one, making it difficult for the country's agencies and media to monitor these programs.
According to Reuters, a South Korean satellite dish service provider, signals from North Korea's Korean Central Television were delivered by a Russian satellite, Express 103, beginning June 29 instead of the ChinaSat 12 satellite.
Because of the sensitivity of the matter, it declined to be named.
The move to a different satellite comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin visited North Korea in June. While there, he signed a pact with Kim Jong Un to strengthen bilateral relations and strengthen defence cooperation.
Although North Korean TV can still be viewed online, the quality might be poor or delayed.
Despite its highly politicized and staged content, North Korean state media is monitored by South Korean government agencies and media as a restricted source of information from within the isolated state.
The public is not permitted to access North Korean media, and authorized organizations in the South must have satellite service to watch North Korean broadcasts.
Since Monday morning, Reuters has been unable to receive North Korean TV broadcasts.
China has shied away from any trilateral agreement that might strain its connections with other nations, while North Korea and Russia have made bold overtures demonstrating their strengthening ties and pledged to oppose the West, led by the United States.
