Seoul to decide whether to lift ban on North Korean state media access

At the National Intelligence Service headquarters in Naegok-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul, the inscription on the agency’s monument reads, "Intelligence is an element of national power." The phrase was written in the handwriting of former President Kim Dae-jung.

The South Korean government is weighing whether to allow public access to North Korea's state-run newspaper Rodong Sinmun and, more broadly, to ease restrictions on North Korean websites, as part of a policy review led by the National Intelligence Service (NIS).

The issue will be discussed at a Cabinet-level meeting on Friday involving officials from the NIS, the Ministry of Unification, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Science and ICT, and the Korea Communications Commission.

Under current law, most North Korean publications are classified as "special materials" under Article 7 of the National Security Act of 1970. The designation bans public access to materials deemed to promote or praise North Korea's political system or deny South Korea's democratic order.

According to Democratic Party lawmaker Youn Kun-young, a member of the National Assembly's Intelligence Committee, the NIS has notified lawmakers that it is reviewing whether to reclassify Rodong Sinmun at the request of the Ministry of Unification.

Lee Jong Seok, the Director of the National Intelligence Service (NIS), attends a plenary session of the National Assembly Intelligence Committee on Jun. 26, 2025. As the first NIS director under the Lee Jae Myung administration, Lee previously served as Minister of Unification in the Roh Moo-hyun administration. Yonhap

The move follows remarks by President Lee Jae Myung during a recent government briefing by the unification ministry last week, in which he said South Koreans should not be treated as incapable of distinguishing propaganda from facts. He argued that the public should be trusted to exercise judgment rather than be shielded through blanket restrictions.

In a report to the National Assembly, the NIS said it is "positively considering expanding access to North Korean websites" in order to strengthen the public's right to know and promote inter-Korean exchange.

The agency also said it plans to cooperate with two bills currently under review by the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee that would establish a legal framework for the management and use of North Korean materials.

At present, nearly 90 percent of all North Korean publications are classified as "special materials," making them inaccessible to the general public. Access is granted only with special approval from the Ministry of Unification and is limited to supervised viewing on designated computers at the Unification Education Institute. Ordinary users attempting to visit North Korean websites typically encounter a notice stating that the content is blocked as illegal or harmful.

As part of the policy shift, the NIS has also decided to abolish its existing internal guidelines on North Korean materials and transfer authority over their management to the Ministry of Unification, signaling a broader institutional realignment in how such content is regulated.
Lee Jung-woo Reporter cannes2030@ajupress.com

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