N. Korean audience gets extensive London Olympics coverage on TV

LONDON -- North Koreans are receiving substantial television coverage of the London Olympics as their athletes are off to a strong start in the medal race, officials said Wednesday.

Ri Kwang-chol, head of the press delegation from the North's Radio and Television Broadcasting Committee, said Pyongyang is caught up in Olympic fever.

"People back home are excited about our athletes' great performances," Ri said. "I heard there are five hours of daily TV broadcasts of the Olympics."

Ri's comments came during his meeting with Kim In-kyu, the president of South Korean public broadcaster KBS and chief of the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU), a nongovernmental organization that's helping North Korea produce and broadcast Olympic events.

According to officials, North Korea at first dedicated only 15 minutes of its 8 p.m. evening news to Olympic-related stories. But the coverage appears to have been extended after judoka An Kum-ae grabbed the first gold last Sunday and weightlifters Om Yun-chol and Kim Un-kuk followed suit.

Because the North's regular broadcasts end early at night, live coverage isn't apparently available, officials said, and events are televised on tape.

Ri is part of a six-person delegation in London. Last week, the ABU struck an agreement with the North's committee to help the North produce and broadcast TV programs during the Olympics while Pyongyang pays for the rights.

"With the excitement building up for the Olympics, more people are glued to their TV sets," Ri said with a smile. "I think our athletes have exceeded our expectations because we're here for the broadcast."

Ri, a journalist in Pyongyang, said the North Korean audience has also been able to watch South Korean athletes win gold medals in London.

As for how many more gold medals he felt North Korea could win, Ri said, "I am hoping we could win about 15 more, though I am not sure if that'd be possible."

North Korea's record for the most gold medals at a single Olympics is four at Barcelona in 1992.

(Yonhap News)