North Korean authorities are reportedly cracking down on DVDs of South Korean TV dramas and radio receivers that can tune into South Korean broadcasts to stem the Korean pop culture wave that has belatedly hit the North.

A source familiar with North Korean affairs last week said some 10 episodes of a 30-episode South Korean drama series are normally copied on a DVD in China and smuggled into North Korea. And these spread quickly among North Koreans via the black market.

Many North Korean border guards or security officers charged with cracking down on the practice can apparently be bribed to close an eye.

“North Korea developed its own DVD player in 2006 with a view to developing its own IT industry, this ironically provided momentum for the spread of South Korean soap operas," a South Korean intelligence official told chosun.com

Radios also played a role in the late arrival of the so-called Korean Wave. North Koreans must report their radio sets to regional security offices and have them permanently soldered to receive only state channels. But a flood of smuggled radios from China is allowing an increasing number of North Koreans to listen clandestinely to South Korean broadcasts.

South Korean broadcasts can be received with satellite antennas south of Pyongyang. It is reported that some senior North Korean officials watch the 9 o'clock news on South Korean television in the evening and even watch the morning news from the South before going to work. (Source: chosun.com)

Story filed 05.01.09