South Koreans now free to read North's newspaper, once banned as seditious

Seoul: Packed with missile tests, propaganda hailing the great leaders and tirades against the United States, North Korea s top newspaper was long con...

Seoul: Packed with missile tests, propaganda hailing the great leaders and tirades against the United States, North Korea's top newspaper was long considered so incendiary that South Korea banned its citizens from reading it.

But dovish President Lee Jae Myung is now seeking better ties with Pyongyang and has joked that he doesn't believe the public will "become commies" by reading the Rodong Sinmun.

That means from this week South Koreans can access the publication -- whose name means "Workers' Newspaper" -- at select locations without state approval.

A collection of issues of Rodong Sinmun, North Korea's top newspaper, is displayed at the National Library of Korea in Seoul on January 2, 2026. Photo by Jung Yeon-je / AFP

Prospective readers no longer have to identify themselves and submit an application explaining their purpose, though they still must visit public libraries to view a copy.