South Korea plans to lift a decadeslong ban on public access to North Korean newspapers, television, and other media gradually, despite new conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol promising to take a tougher stance on North Korea.
South Korea’s Unification Ministry plans to lift access to North Korean media in a gradual effort to encourage mutual understanding and restore Korean national identity, according to a policy report to Yoon.
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The steps are meant to encourage North Korea to respond in kind, though the country is unlikely to reciprocate because it restricts its citizens’ access to the outside world, according to the Associated Press. It’s unclear how access will be provided to South Koreans and which content would be allowed at first.
It’s illegal to watch or read North Korean broadcasts or publications in South Korea, though some circumvent the laws by using private networks or proxy servers.
Yoon, who took office this May, has adopted harsher rhetoric toward North Korea than the previous president and expressed plans to bolster South Korea’s defense capabilities.
“What I want is shared and common prosperity on the Korean Peninsula,” Yoon told CNN in May. “I do not believe that enhancing [North Korea’s] nuclear capability is helpful and conducive to maintaining international peace.”
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North Korea has recently escalated tensions, conducting over a dozen ballistic missile tests this year.
The Korean peninsula has been divided by a heavily guarded border since 1948, with both countries prohibiting communication and access to each other’s media.
