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<H2 id=a1><A title="Permalink to this article" href="http://www.ejc.net/media_news/rsf_evaluates_level_of_press_freedom_in_north_korea/">RSF evaluates level of press freedom in North Korea</A></H2>
<P>Reporters Without Borders visited the South Korean capital of Seoul in July to evaluate the level of media freedom and freedom of information in North Korea. It met with many specialists, human rights activists, North Korean refugees and South Korean officials in order to assess the changes that have taken place since October 2004, the date of its last investigation. It has just published the results of this fact-finding visit. Entitled <A title="North Korea: Frontiers of Censorship" href="http://www.ejc.net/?URL=http%3A%2F%2Ffr.rsf.org%2FIMG%2Fpdf%2Frsf_north-korea_2011.pdf"><STRONG><FONT color=#4a6892>North Korea: Frontiers of Censorship</FONT></STRONG></A> (<A href="http://fr.rsf.org/IMG/pdf/rsf_north-korea_2011.pdf">http://fr.rsf.org/IMG/pdf/rsf_north-korea_2011.pdf</A>), it looks at the regime’s media control and censorship and the attempts being made by others to increase freedom of information. Foreign radio stations continue to be the main source of independent information for the North Korean population. Broadcasting two or three hours a day in Korean on shortwave, they are listened to by people who have managed to obtain shortwave radio sets. The flow of information is also reinforced by NGOs that send material and multimedia content across the border by various methods. The authorities seem incapable of stopping the growing smuggling and contraband trade, especially in the estimated 300 markets throughout the country and near the Chinese border, or the flow of information via mobile phones and contraband DVDs, USB flash drives and other digital media whose availability is growing rapidly. (<A class=external_link title="Go to the source website of this article" href="http://blogs.rnw.nl/medianetwork/rsf-evaluates-press-freedom-in-north-korea" target=_blank><STRONG><FONT color=#4a6892>RSF via Media Network</FONT></STRONG></A>) </P><!--
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dc:title="RSF evaluates level of press freedom in North Korea"
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