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Tensions on the Korean Peninsula

TASS materials shape positive picture of and fill information gap on North Korea — envoy

TASS is one of the few media outlets in the world which for many years has had its own news bureau in Pyongyang

The North Korean national flag on the facade of a residential building in the city of Pyongyang Alexander Demyanchuk/TASS

The North Korean national flag on the facade of a residential building in the city of Pyongyang

© Alexander Demyanchuk/TASS

MOSCOW, June 29. /TASS/. Information on North Korea as transmitted by TASS fills the information void on the Asian country and also helps the reader get a precise and favorable impression of the North Korean state and its people as opposed to some unreliable reports, Russian Ambassador to North Korea Alexander Matsegora said on Monday in an open interview with TASS First Deputy Director General Mikhail Gusman.

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"We are satisfied with the work of your staff correspondent in Pyongyang and the information that you rapidly transmit," the diplomat said.

"I would like to say that the information on North Korea provided by TASS fills that existing information vacuum on this country. It helps, especially since nowadays there are many unscrupulous reports on the Internet and in print that willingly or not, distort the situation. The information by TASS makes it possible to form a more accurate and positive impression of this country and the wonderful people who live and work there," the ambassador stressed.

The Russian envoy also mentioned the agency’s plans to dispatch its own news photographer to North Korea. "I think this is a correct and timely decision because there is far too little information or photographic information about this country. It will certainly find consumers and will be very interesting," he predicted.

An interesting experience

The diplomat looked back on the Soviet experience which, in his opinion, could have been applied even now in order to foster cooperation in this area between the two countries. "Again, I am going back to the good old Soviet experience when very often groups of news writers and photo correspondents came here for a couple of days, and their Korean friends hosted them and took them around the country. They prepared separate diaries of their visits to North Korea which opened different facets of the lives of people, of the population. That was extremely interesting. Maybe this is an option worth considering," the diplomat pointed out.

The ambassador wished TASS great success in its work.

TASS is one of the few media outlets in the world which for many years has had its own news bureau in Pyongyang.

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