Pyongyang: North Korea's state media has notably excluded games involving South Korea, the United States, and Japan from its unauthorized coverage of the ongoing FIFA World Cup matches. Despite airing brief segments of four to six minutes on group-stage match results during evening newscasts from Monday through Thursday, the broadcasts deliberately omitted any mention of matches featuring these three nations.
According to Yonhap News Agency, while North Korea's state-run Korean Central Television avoided covering these specific games, it did include footage showing pitch-side advertising boards for South Korean and U.S. companies such as Hyundai Motor Co., The Coca-Cola Company, and McDonald's. Historically, North Korean broadcasts have blurred images related to South Korea and the U.S. during major sports events, including company advertisements and national flags.
The broadcaster showcased major scenes from the World Cup matches, leading to suspicions that these were aired without proper authorization. Notably, North Korean media are not listed among the authorized media rights licensees by FIFA to broadcast the World Cup games.
This exclusion from broadcasting rights follows North Korea's similar unauthorized airing of matches from the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. As of Friday, the outlet has stopped broadcasting scenes from the current World Cup.