[Choice Times=Ji-Hyun Park, Senior Fellow, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy (CAPS), U.K.-based North Korean defector]

On January 21, Rep.Kim Gi-hyeonof the People Power Party stated,“The Ministry of Unification has confirmed that 181 government agencies and affiliated institutions have applied for and are subscribing to Rodong Sinmun,”adding that“if each subscription costs 1.9 million won per year, more than 300 million won in public funds is being spent annually.”

In response, the Ministry of Unification explained that“the annual fee of 1.9 million won includes production costs, distribution expenses, and intermediary profits, and is not paid directly to North Korea but to a domestic import agency,”adding that“a private South Korean company imports North Korean materials through local distributors in China.”

Earlier, President Lee Jae-myung also addressed the issue on X (formerly Twitter), referring to claims that“some young people are questioning why the Lee Jae-myung administration is distributing Rodong Sinmun using taxpayers’ money,”and criticizing them by asking,“Should even such lies be protected under freedom of expression?”(Editor’s note)

However, within the Ministry of Unification’s explanation, there are passages that overlap—too closely to be dismissed as coincidence—with official North Korean propaganda language.

On the same day, North Korea publicized that leaders from around the world had sent New Year’s messages of congratulations, and among the listed organizations was the Kim Il-sung–Kim Jong-il Fund.

This organization is an official North Korean body established to promote Juche ideology internationally. It is headquartered in Pyongyang and operates overseas branches, carrying out political and ideological activities. It is also known to maintain overseas representative offices in places such as Dandong, China.

The “local Chinese distributors” mentioned in the Ministry of Unification’s explanation are therefore unlikely to be ordinary commercial entities. It cannot be ruled out that they are, in reality, individuals or members linked to the Kim Il-sung–Kim Jong-il Fund.

North Korea has long employed the outward appearance of civilian and overseas organizations to evade United Nations sanctions. Behind this lies a serious issue: the revelation that South Korea itself may be becoming systematically entangled in these sanction-evasion schemes and related criminal activities.

#SanctionsEvasion #PublicFunds #NorthKorea