The North Korean dictatorship will allow the broadcasting of English top-flight football matches, but with a series of ideological restrictions
Compartir:
For the first time in history, North Korea will broadcast English Premier League matches; however, it will do so under strict state control ordered by leader Kim Jong-un. According to the British newspaper The Guardian, the broadcasts will be heavily edited and censored before reaching the local audience.
Although the possibility that the Asian country would air matches from the English championship had surfaced in April of this year, at that time the project was not implemented. However, this time, the conditions would be the same as then, and the regime's decision appears to be final.
According to information from the specialized outlet 38 North, North Korean citizens will be able to enjoy the matches, although with a long list of restrictions. Among them, matches involving South Korean footballers will not be broadcast, a measure that responds to the historical tensions between the two countries.
No se pasarán partidos en los que jueguen surcoreanos
With this measure, the Pyongyang government seeks to control foreign content reaching the population, maintaining its strict cultural isolation even in the sports arena. Despite this, the event sets a historic precedent, since it will be the first time North Koreans can watch matches from the world's most popular league, although under the regime's strict supervision.
All the regulations that Premier League matches will have in North Korea
The conditions imposed by the North Korean regime for rebroadcasting the matches are numerous and reflect the government's policy of ideological control:
Any scene showing LGBTQ+ symbols will be edited out.
The matches will not be broadcast live, but will be edited in advance before airing.
All images featuring South Korean players will be removed, for example, footballers Kim Ji-soo (Brentford) and Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton).
Each match will be shortened to 60 minutes, instead of the standard 90.
All visible English text in the stadium (advertising, signage, or billboards) will be covered with North Korean graphics during editing.
