A number of Japanese TV broadcasters have

stopped allowing four individuals critical of the North Korean regime to appear

on television, Daily NK has learned. The steps took place in accordance with

demands from the de facto North Korean representative in Japan, Chongryon.

Chongryon’s demand came alongside a warning

that any company that opts to violate the agreement by broadcasting persons

designated as “unfairly” critical of North Korea will be refused

access to North Korea for news-gathering purposes.

“Chongryon

has produced a ‘blacklist’ and is using it to put pressure on

Japanese broadcasters,” the

head of the Tokyo-based Korea International Institute (KII), Park Doo Jin

explained to Daily NK on the 30th. “Some private broadcasters have already accepted the Chongryon

request and seem to be changing their stance on North Korea issues.”

The Chongryon blacklist contains Park

himself, Professor Lee Young Hwa of Kansei University, the head of Daily NK’s office in Tokyo, Ko Young Gi, and the

founder of ASIAPRESS, Ishimaru Jiro.

Park, Lee and Ko are all long-time

opponents of the Kim regime and central figures in Japanese campaigns to

improve North Korean human rights since the 1990s. Ishimaru has been making

covert films in the border region of China and within North Korea itself for

more than a decade. His films have been released worldwide, receiving

considerable acclaim.

The issue of Chongryon

pressure was recently brought up in the Japanese legislature, which raised

grave concerns over the impact fairness in domestic broadcasting.

Speaking during a meeting of a special

committee covering North Korean abductions of Japanese citizens, congressman

Miyake Hiroshi of the Japan Restoration Party commented on June 9th, “Without cause, broadcasters have

surrendered to [Chongryon] pressure and are refusing to let these four people

appear on TV.”

“Park Doo

Jin appeared on TV and radio, and provided broadcast supervision on a total of

83 occasions in 2013,” he went on. “But that number decreased rapidly

from the second half of 2013, and it looks like there have been measures to

halt his appearances in media in 2014.”

Corroborating the

story, Professor Lee Young Hwa told Daily NK personally, “Since last fall the number of offers I’ve had to appear on programs has

plunged.” Lee added that this “calls for a reevaluation of the

freedom and independence of the Japanese press by the international community.”

Speaking about the current situation, a

source from one of the Tokyo-based broadcasters, who requested anonymity

acknowledged that Tokyo broadcasters are “in fact not putting these four

on television.”

According to the source, Chongryon has been

pressuring broadcasters in the Japanese capital since the end of 2011, when

a Mr. Seo, presenting himself as a Chongryon director, visited the

international news sections of Tokyo-based broadcasters just prior to Kim Jong

Il’s passing. He is said to have told bureau chiefs to stop showing Park, Lee,

Ko and Ishimaru.

Seo alleged at the time that Lee and Ko are

wanted in the North, while Park is a former member of Chongryon who betrayed

the organization and Ishimaru makes “false” and

“fake” videos. “Why do

you use inside videos whose authenticity cannot even be confirmed?” he reportedly demanded to know.

However, the threats and cautions initially

went unheeded; that is until April 2012, when North Korea allowed approximately

20 members of the foreign press corps into Pyongyang to cover the launch of a

long-range missile and commemoration of Kim Il Sung’s 100th birthday. Only certain Japanese broadcasters were granted

permission to take part.

Among Japanese companies, Kyodo News, which

has had a branch office in Pyongyang for many years, and NHK were the first to

receive permission. Conversely, private broadcasters TBS, TV Asahi and Nippon

TV had to apply for access through Chongryon and then wait in Beijing for

approval. On other occasions since then, Chongryon has actively discriminated

between broadcasters when events of bilateral import take place.

“From the

broadcaster’s point

of view, if their competitors have a certain piece of footage and they cannot

have it, that is a massive burden on them,” the source said. “Footage

of the launch of a long-range missile or Kim Il Sung-related celebrations are

not things that broadcasters can easily give up.”

Nevertheless, he concluded, “No matter what the news-gathering

circumstances, selecting who goes on TV based on external pressure from a

specific organization is unimaginable in the Japanese media, and is a violation

of the principles of a free press.”

Analyzing the possible background to the

current situation, Park Doo Jin said, “Chongryon’s power

has declined since the launch of the Kim Jong Eun regime. Therefore, the

leadership has made a proactive move to control Japanese broadcasters, thus to

express its loyalty [to Pyongyang].”