North Korea TV revamps weather report By News from Elsewhere...

...as found by BBC Monitoring Published duration 29 April 2019

image copyright KCTV image caption The presenter stood up in front of a satellite photo and used hand gestures

North Korean state TV has started to introduce noticeable changes to its regular weather broadcast, in what could be a move away from its signature rigid style of news delivery.

The new-look weather report appeared for the first time on the KCTV channel two days ago.

Instead of reciting the weather forecast while sitting down, the presenter stood up in front of a large screen showing a satellite image of the Korean Peninsula.

She even used hand gestures to draw attention to the map and explain the weather conditions.

image copyright KCTV image caption Normally the presenter sits down while delivering the weather forecast

Her tone of voice was much softer than the usual dramatic delivery, and she gently tapped the screen to move to the next image - rather like using a touch screen.

But the modern technology introduced some problems too, reports the South Korean news agency Yonhap

She made a mistake at one point by reading the same part of the script twice, in order to keep in sync with the movement of the graphics.

Making a mistake on air is considered a serious breach of conduct in North Korea, and has been known to lead to serious consequences, Yonhap says.

Hi-tech pilot?

The new look does not come as a complete surprise, as North Korean TV has recently been experimenting with technology to deliver the news.

image copyright KCTV image caption North Korean TV introduced graphics for one day in late March

In March, the main news bulletin presented a revamped economics report - for one day alone.

It featured time-lapse videos, graphics, and drone footage.

Instead of sitting down, the presenter - a young woman wearing a western style suit - was standing up against the backdrop of the studio gallery.

Observers say that such changes could be an attempt by the North to show it is willing and able to use modern information technology to deliver the news.

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Martyn Williams, who writes the North Korea Tech blog , told the BBC that this push for change is driven by the desire to keep audience attention in the face of competition from abroad.

"Officially, North Korean television doesn't have any competition. But unofficially a lot of information is flowing in from overseas on USB sticks and on memory cards, and a lot of that is foreign movies and South Korean television."

"So people are getting used to seeing the much more polished presentation style of foreign TV channels, and it's making North Korean TV look pretty dull and boring.

"North Korean TV is realising it has to start to innovate, has to make itself look a bit more interesting if it's to hold the attention of people in North Korea."

It's not clear if these kind of changes will continue, but it is possible that they are part of an experiment that could lead to more regular style updates in future.

Reporting by Krassi Twigg

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