North Korea purges 99% of state news archive
North Korea has tightened its grip on the countries already scant news offer by purging no less than 99 per cent of all content held in the state news archive; including 35,000 articles from the Korea Central News Agency and 20,000 pieces from Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the Worker’s Party.
As a result of the mass deletion digital archives in the hermit state now only go back as far as October, excluding a handful of bland pronouncements such as a congratulatory message sent to the nation’s youth penned by current North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
Articles concerning important events are, in contrast, notable by their absence with articles concerning the death of Kim Jong-il, the present leader’s father, also deleted.
North Korea media analyst Frank Feinstein told NK News: "There were 35,000 articles dated September 2013 or earlier on KCNA in Korean. If they're leaving the odd one in, it's still a kill ratio of 98-99%.
"This is a calculated thing they've done. Across all sites, it means the order most likely came from above each individual agency. This is what makes it so interesting - it's a true North Korean purge, not just a KCNA one."
The mass deletion follows the recent execution of Jang Song, Jong-un’s uncle.