US presidential election sparks curiosity in North Korea

North Korean state media has made no mention of Tuesday’s U.S. presidential election but that hasn’t stopped residents – particularly traders and executives – from learning about it and taking an interest, according to sources in the country.

While official media outlets, including the Rodong Sinmun, report news from around the world, they regularly omit information about U.S. politics.

But three sources in North Korea’s North Hamgyong province told RFA Korean that some residents had heard about the election through foreign radio broadcasts or other means, and were “very curious about it.”

A corporate administrative executive in his 40s who, like others interviewed for this report, spoke on condition of anonymity due to security concerns, said he had learned about the U.S. election “through foreign radio about a month ago.”

“[Then,] a few days ago, a close friend told me that there will be a U.S. presidential election in early November, and that former President (Donald) Trump and the current vice president, a black woman, were competing, which surprised me,” he said, referring to Kamala Harris.

The administrative executive said that for his friend to know that level of detail about the election, he “must be listening to foreign radio,” without specifying the broadcaster. Several foreign news organizations transmit radio programs into North Korea, including Radio Free Asia and Voice of America.

“Not only people who secretly listen to the radio, but also trade workers who frequently travel abroad, executives who attend political lectures, and executives who read ‘reference newspapers’ would generally know about the U.S. presidential election,” he said.

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North Korea occasionally informs the general public about international situations, he said, noting that publications such as “reference newspapers and communications” are published separately by the official Korean Central News Agency, subject to approval by the government.

Many ordinary North Koreans are aware of Trump, who met for talks during his 2016-2020 presidency with the country’s supreme leader, Kim Jong Un.

“There are many ordinary citizens who are curious about the international situation and the United States,” he said. “This is because they know that the United States is the wealthiest and most militarily powerful superpower on Earth and that its role is crucial in adopting U.N. sanctions resolutions and designating state sponsors of terrorism.”

The administrative executive said that details about what sanctions are imposed on North Korea by the U.S. are published in periodicals criticizing Washington, including a book called “Common Sense for Journalists,” which anyone can read.

Views were mixed on whether North Korea would fare better if Trump, a Republican, or Harris, a Democrat, were elected.

“People often say that Republicans are hardliners and Democrats are moderates,” he said. “On the other hand, some people say that having a Republican in power would be beneficial to us as in the past economic sanctions and other restrictions were often eased when Republicans were in charge.”

Split on expected impact

Another source from North Hamgyong‘s Hoeryong city, who also declined to be named, told RFA that while ordinary residents who are struggling to earn a living don‘t know much about the U.S. presidential election and aren’t interested in international affairs, “it seems that there are still quite a few people who know about [the election].”

“At a drinking party with four [close] friends there was talk that Trump, who sat down with Kim Jong Un for talks, was running in the U.S. presidential election again,” said the man in his 40s.

“Only one of the four friends was unaware of the election,” he said. “I think they found out about it through foreign radio, people who went abroad to earn foreign currency, or Chinese people I have connections with.”

Meanwhile, “the party has repeatedly spread negative propaganda against former U.S. President Donald Trump to the public … because no results were achieved through the North Korea–United States Singapore summit in June 2018 and the Vietnam Summit held in February 2019,” he said.

Another official in North Pyongan province told RFA that trade organizations and economists are “very interested” in the election because it could drive fluctuations in prices and the global economy, which affect life in North Korea.

“Those who are involved in large-scale businesses or are affiliated with national trade institutions have a slight hope that the domestic economy will recover through this U.S. presidential election,” he said.

But the average citizen has little interest, he said, “because their lives have never improved, regardless of who is president.”

Translated by Claire S. Lee. Edited by Joshua Lipes and Malcolm Foster.