Reporting on North Korea from inside the country: Realities and challenges

SPEAKER: Robert Lauler 

DATE: Tuesday. April 23, 2024. 7:30PM (Seoul)

VENUE: Fifth floor (Conference Room) of FAST FIVE Tower (Namdaemun-ro 9-gil 24, Jung-gu, Seoul)

ADMISSION (Online & In-person): Free for Members; W10,000 for Non-members; W5,000 for Non-member students (Student ID requested)

• If you would like to attend online Zoom, RSVP by April 22 (Monday). We will email you the link on Tuesday.
• To attend in-person, RSVP is not required.

Lecture Overview:

North Korea is one of the most closed societies in the world, but there are several news organizations that work daily to report news about the country that the DPRK government doesn’t want known to the outside world, or even among its own people. Daily NK is one of these news outlets. Based in Seoul, it has been reporting on North Korea since 2004 and has been at the forefront of some of the country’s most important stories, including publishing the full text of the “Reactionary Ideology and Culture Rejection Act of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,” a draconian law passed in late 2022 aimed at eliminating South Korean and other foreign cultural elements from society.

In this talk, Robert Lauler discusses Daily NK’s activities in the context of North Korea’s challenging media environment and the news organization’s take on recent developments in the DPRK, including food shortages, speculation about Kim Jong Un’s succession, and the government’s recent move to shift its unification policy.

Bio:

Robert Lauler serves as Daily NK’s English Language Editor. He has worked for many years in North Korean affairs and as a translator. He has a bachelor’s degree in Korean Language and Literature from the University of Washington and an MPhil in Korean Studies from Seoul National University. He is the translator of Passcode to the Third Floor: An Insider’s Account of Life Among North Korea’s Political Elite, and has published articles in The Diplomat, Sino-NK, and 38 North.

VENUE: Online Zoom & In-person