According to the Daily NK:
The price of housing in areas of North Korea where it is possible to receive South Korean television (in the form of main state broadcaster KBS) is considerably higher than in other locations, the president of NK Intellectuals Solidarity asserted today.
Kim Heung Gwang revealed the house price news in a lecture at an event organized by the National Development Institute in Seoul this morning, “Is a Jasmine Revolution Possible in North Korea?”
However, Kim also said that external information is not as important as internal factors when it comes to influencing North Korea’s future.
“Speaking with defectors, it becomes clear that whether one is from the country or the city, coming into contact with South Korean dramas or movies at least once is the norm,” Kim explained, adding, “Thanks to this, places where South Korean TV can be received are popular with North Koreans.”
“We believe that the places where South Korean TV can be received are along the East and West Sea coasts, and in these places sellers can name their price,” he went on. “It is said that in the case of one area of Hamheung, you can get South Korean TV within a ten kilometer radius, and that is the only reason why the price of housing is expensive.”
However, Kim also emphasized that while South Korean TV may be popular, the real power to change North Korea is emerging not from external effects, but from inside the country itself.
Additional Information:
The Daily NK published a similar story back in 2006. Lankov wrote about broadcasts into the DPRK some time ago as well.
Read the full story here:
North Korean House Prices Hanging on KBS Availability
Daily NK
Mok Yong Jae
3/16/2011
