“With radio broadcasts aimed at North Korea operated by South Korea’s National Intelligence Service and the South Korean military also being suspended, along with RFA and VOA, the ability of North Korean society to form unofficial opinions has also weakened as major windows to absorb information from the outside world close.”
‘Unverified stories are going around, though some people don’t believe them, calling them merely conjecture by a handful of people,’ the source said. ‘In particular, groundless rumors started by state security officials are accepted as hard fact.’
“This demonstrates that the state is manipulating public opinion in its favor by disseminating false information. With the disappearance of news and information from the outside world, state propaganda and baseless rumors are more able to take their place.”