Additional Context: This information was collected by Human Rights Watch, or HRW, in an interview with Lee Kwang-baek, director of Unification Media Group, or UMG, the largest private broadcasting consortium into North Korea.

UMG used to broadcast three hours of daily programming including news, culture, civic education, and information on human rights and democracy. Secure Digital Cards, or SD cards, containing entertainment, economic information or language courses were also sent into the country, with UMG additionally supporting DailyNK, an online newspaper with journalism and distribution contacts inside the country. Both entities received an estimated 80 to 90% of their funding from the U.S. government, through the U.S. National Endowment for Democracy, or NED, and the State Department's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL). Although the NED resumed its funding and DRL allowed remaining grant amounts to be spent after sudden cuts in February and March 2025, the unpredictability of funds forced staff working hours to be cut and placed hurdles on rehiring processes. As of late 2025, remaining funds were prioritized towards maintaining contacts inside North Korea that, if lost, would be extremely difficult to reestablish.

Source: Human Rights Watch