UPDATED: 12:15 p.m. BST, Saturday

The BBC plans to propose doing a daily news broadcast into North Korea and a satellite TV service in Russia as part of a drive to counter state propaganda worldwide, reports said.

Britain's public broadcaster, worried about democracy and the free press worldwide, will make the proposals Monday. The plan also includes expanding BBC Arabic coverage in north Africa and the Middle East, the Guardian reported Saturday.

A BBC spokesman told Mashable in an email that Director General Tony Hall will be setting out his plans Monday and it will include plans for Russia and North Korea.

The BBC is said to be worried about the rise of state-backed rivals such as Qatar’s Al Jazeera, China’s CCTV and Russia’s RT.

“This is about Britain’s place in the world,” a BBC insider said. “Other news outlets are growing globally, and many do not share our traditions and values.”

Broadcasting in North Korea would be difficult because the country routinely blocks the signals. The broadcast could also provoke a diplomatic response from Pyongyang, the Financial Times said.

The BBC World Service used to be funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, but the BBC had to take on its £245 million annual cost from last year as part of a 2010 agreement with the government. But the BBC will ask the government for help funding this expansion, with the broadcaster saying it will match funds by commercialising some of its news operations.

The BBC World Service is held in high esteem by many in the UK. "The World Service is one of our country’s most important sources of soft power, with an unparalleled ability to reach out across the globe," former Foreign Secretary William Hague said in March 2012. Correspondents provide news and analysis in 32 languages.