Lee Jong-seok, director of the National Intelligence Service, during the announcement of his appointment at the presidential office in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on June 4 [NEWS1]

Lee Jong-seok, director of the National Intelligence Service, during the announcement of his appointment at the presidential office in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on June 4 [NEWS1]

 
The National Intelligence Service (NIS) has announced plans to ease restrictions on access to North Korean materials, including the Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the North’s ruling Workers’ Party.
 
The move comes just days after President Lee Jae Myung criticized the legal ban on access to certain materials from the North during a policy briefing with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Unification on Dec. 19.
 
 
“The current restriction makes it seem as if the public is being treated as susceptible to propaganda,” Lee said, prompting the NIS to respond swiftly.
 
“We plan to actively cooperate with future legislative procedures to improve public access to North Korean materials,” the NIS said in a written response submitted to Democratic Party (DP) Rep. Youn Kun-young, a member of the National Assembly’s Intelligence Committee, on Wednesday. “We are also considering allowing access to North Korean websites.”
 
A concrete timetable also appears to be taking shape. The NIS said it will hold an emergency meeting on Friday with other relevant agencies, including the Ministry of Unification, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Media and Communications Commission.
 

President Lee Jae Myung, right, signs a guestbook during his first visit as president to the National Intelligence Service on Nov. 28. [NEWS1]

President Lee Jae Myung, right, signs a guestbook during his first visit as president to the National Intelligence Service on Nov. 28. [NEWS1]

 
The discussion is moving forward just a week after Lee’s remarks. Once the government finishes revising the relevant regulations, access to the Rodong Sinmun could become open to the general public.
 
Currently, the NIS regulates access to North Korean materials under guidelines first drafted in 1970 based on Article 7 of the National Security Act, which prohibits pro-North Korea propaganda and incitement.
 
The guidelines classify North Korean materials as either “special documents” that promote or glorify the North or deny the legitimacy of South Korea’s liberal democratic system or “general documents,” which do not. Materials categorized as special, including the Rodong Sinmun, are not accessible to the public.
 
Nearly 90 percent of all North Korean documents are classified as special, making access highly limited. Even when materials are disclosed at the request of agencies like the Unification Ministry, strict rules apply.
 
For example, Article 9 of the guidelines states that digital content must be viewed only on dedicated PCs with internet and storage media access disabled.
 

Lee Jong-seok, director of the National Intelligence Service, right, speaks during a National Assembly audit of the agency at its headquarters in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on Nov. 4. [NEWS1]

Lee Jong-seok, director of the National Intelligence Service, right, speaks during a National Assembly audit of the agency at its headquarters in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on Nov. 4. [NEWS1]

 
As a result, the only way for members of the public to view such content is by physically visiting designated facilities, such as the North Korea Resource Center under the National Assembly Library or the National Institute for Peace, Unification and Democracy Education.
 
Attempting to access North Korean websites like the Rodong Sinmun from a personal device within Korea currently redirects to a government warning page blocking “illegal or harmful content.”
 
The NIS also announced plans to abolish the current guideline entirely and transfer responsibility for managing North Korean materials to the Unification Ministry. Related legislation introduced by DP Rep. Lee Yong-sun in July and People Power Party Rep. Kim Ki-woong in November is currently pending in the National Assembly.
 
“We are working closely with the Unification Ministry on legislation related to the proposed changes,” the NIS said.
 
The agency’s position marks a significant departure from its traditional emphasis on security.
 

President Lee Jae Myung, center, makes his first visit as president to the National Intelligence Service on Nov. 28. [NEWS1]

President Lee Jae Myung, center, makes his first visit as president to the National Intelligence Service on Nov. 28. [NEWS1]

 
“The Unification Ministry shares the president’s view that access should be opened, but other agencies, including the NIS, have taken a more cautious stance,” said Unification Minister Chung Dong-young, effectively naming the NIS as an obstacle.
 
“Is the NIS saying it can look at this content without being swayed, but the public will be brainwashed just by seeing it? That’s a real problem,” President Lee said.
 
The previous Yoon Suk Yeol administration also had reviewed expanding access to North Korean materials as a state policy initiative, but the plan was abandoned due to concerns about public opinion and the inter-Korean situation.
 
“This restriction on document access to North Korean documents is a lingering aftereffect of a past era defined by confrontation and conflict,” Rep. Youn said. “It’s long overdue to revise these outdated policies that reacted rigidly to anything involving the word ‘North Korea.’”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY YOON JI-WON [[email protected]]