Tongsin | 통신

A North Korean girl uses an 'Arirang' brand tablet computer. Image via Mansudae Art Studio Poster Exhibition, Chosun Central TV, January 2014.

A North Korean girl uses an “Arirang” brand tablet computer. Image: Mansudae Art Studio Poster Exhibition, KCTV.

The Tongsin effort was officially shelved at the end of 2014. 

In our efforts to provide deeper analysis of source documents, Sino-NK offers “Tongsin” (통신; news report): source data on the DPRK’s view on China through the lenses of Rodong Sinmun and the KCNA.

While the Chinese perspective on North Korea garners much attention (and rightly so), the North Korean perspective on China remains under-examined. It is taken as granted that Pyongyang relies on Beijing, and the more delicate aspects of this relationship are ignored: for instance, that North Korea has been routinely let down by its Sino and Soviet/Russian allies and is therefore weary of both actual and domestically perceived dependence on China.

Sino-NK has previously examined DPRK state media in the KCNA Files (active from December 2011–February 2013) and Tongsin is a natural progression as it includes KCNA analysis as before, and introduces content from Rodong Sinmun.

Below is the database of all Tongsin Files and older KCNA Files.

Database for all Tongsin files

(Old) KCNA Files*

KCNA File no. 23
December 13, 2012 – February 16, 2013

KCNA File no. 22
September 5 – October 5, 2012

KCNA File no. 21
July 27 – August 7, 2012

KCNA File no. 20
July 27 – August 1, 2012

KCNA File no. 19
June 20 – July 31, 2012

KCNA File no. 18
July 1 – July 14, 2012

KCNA File no. 16
May 15 – June 4, 2012

KCNA File no. 15
March 18 – March 24, 2012

KCNA File no. 14
March 14–17, 2012

KCNA File no. 13
March 4 – March 10, 2012

KCNA File no. 12
February 26 – March 3, 2012

KCNA File no. 11
February 19 – February 25, 2012

KCNA File no. 10
February 12 – February 18, 2012

KCNA File no. 09
February 5 – February 12, 2012

KCNA File no. 08
January 29 – February 4, 2012

KCNA File no. 07
January 22 – January 28, 2012

KCNA File no. 06
January 15 – January 21, 2012

KCNA File no. 05
January 8 – January 14, 2012

KCNA File no. 04
January 1 – January 7, 2012

KCNA File no. 03
October 4 – October 10, 2009

KCNA File no. 02
December 10 – December 17, 2011

KCNA File no. 01
December 19 – December 27, 2011

* KCNA Files is now Tongsin.