North Korea Heavily Censors Premier League Broadcasts, Cuts South Korean Players

North Korea’s state broadcaster, Korean Central Television (KCTV), has begun airing delayed and heavily censored English Premier League (EPL) matches from the 2024–25 season, starting January 2026.

Matches, including Ipswich Town versus Liverpool, are not shown live and undergo extensive editing. Footage featuring South Korean players, such as Brentford’s Kim Ji-soo and Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Hwang Hee-chan, is completely removed.

Each game is shortened to 60 minutes, with English text in stadiums replaced by North Korean graphics. Scenes depicting LGBTQ+ symbols are also omitted. Only 21 matches from the previous season are set to be broadcast, giving North Korean viewers a tightly controlled and selective version of international football.

Source: X | TouchlineX