조선일보

조선일보 Censorship: Why South Korea's Oldest Daily Is Blocked in China and North Korea

What 조선일보 Is

조선일보 (Chosun Ilbo) is South Korea's oldest and largest circulating newspaper, founded in 1920. It is owned by the Chosun Ilbo Company and operates both print and digital editions serving millions of readers across South Korea and the Korean diaspora. The outlet covers politics, business, culture, and international affairs with a conservative editorial stance. Its digital platform reaches approximately 15 million monthly users, making it one of East Asia's most widely read news sources.

Why It's Censored

In China, 조선일보 faces systematic blocking under the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) regulations governing foreign news content. Chinese authorities enforce restrictions through the "Great Firewall" framework, which prohibits unfiltered access to South Korean media outlets deemed to carry geopolitical messaging unfavorable to Beijing. Chosun Ilbo's coverage of North Korea policy, US-Korea relations, and Chinese economic issues triggers automatic content filtering. The CAC does not publish explicit blacklists but enforces restrictions through ISP-level mandates and upstream filtering protocols.

In North Korea, blocking is categorical and absolute. The regime's Media Law (2003) and subsequent digital control mechanisms forbid all foreign journalism. Chosun Ilbo's status as a South Korean outlet—combined with its occasional reporting on North Korean human rights, defector accounts, and regime criticism—makes it antithetical to state information control. North Korean citizens access the internet exclusively through Kwangmyong, a domestic intranet, and international sites including Chosun Ilbo are preemptively unavailable at the network level.

Technical Blocking Methods

In China, blocking occurs through multiple layers. DNS filtering at the ISP level prevents resolution of Chosun Ilbo's domain names. IP-based blocking restricts access to known server addresses hosting the site. Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) systems monitor outbound traffic for keywords associated with the publication, further degrading access speeds or terminating connections. These methods vary by region and ISP; some users report intermittent access depending on routing and timing.

North Korea's blocking is simpler in mechanism but absolute in effect. All international internet traffic passes through centralized gateways controlled by the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications. Foreign domains, including Chosun Ilbo, are maintained on block lists at the gateway level. No circumvention is practical within the standard domestic network.

User Workarounds

Users in China attempting to access Chosun Ilbo typically employ Virtual Private Network (VPN) solutions to route traffic through servers outside China, bypassing both DNS and DPI filtering. Standard practice involves connecting through servers located in countries without content-filtering agreements with Beijing—typically Southeast Asia, the US, or Europe. Some users also employ proxy services or Tor Browser, though Tor access faces increasing detection and disruption. These methods require technical knowledge and carry regulatory risk for users.

In North Korea, workarounds are virtually nonexistent for ordinary citizens due to network isolation. Defectors and international observers occasionally access Chosun Ilbo from external locations.

Alternatives

Users seeking Korean news in censored regions may access 한겨레 (Hankyoreh), which faces similar but sometimes less stringent blocking in China. International outlets like Reuters and BBC Korean services provide filtered coverage of Korean affairs, though with less domestic South Korean focus. BBC and Reuters generally face lighter censorship than specifically Korean sources in China, though both experience periodic disruption.

Outlook

Censorship of Chosun Ilbo shows no signs of easing. China's CAC has intensified media controls since 2020, and North Korea continues perfecting information isolation. South Korean government negotiations have not yielded concessions on press access. For international observers, blocking of Korean media likely reflects long-term strategic choices rather than temporary policy shifts.