North Korea Accused of 'Pirating' World Cup Broadcasts: Hidden Intent Behind Uncensored U.S. Brand Exposure?

Allegations have emerged that North Korea is retransmitting the 2026 FIFA World Cup matches through its state-run television network without holding official broadcasting rights.

It has been reported that advertisements for U.S. brands, including Coca-Cola and McDonald's, were broadcasted without being edited out.

According to a foreign media outlet covering international soccer, North Korea's Korean Central Television (KCTV) recently aired some matches of the 2026 World Cup on a delayed basis.

The footage included on-screen text using North Korean transliterations for country names, such as "Côte d'Ivoire" (Ivory Coast), "Sverige" (Sweden), and "Deutschland" (Germany).

At the top of the screen, a caption read, "2026 FIFA World Cup Group Stage," written in North Korean terminology.

The issue is that North Korea has not secured official broadcasting rights from FIFA.

The media outlet claimed, "North Korean state television is illegally broadcasting World Cup matches by intercepting satellite signals from neighboring countries like China."

The explanation is that because they lack official rights, they are engaging in pirate broadcasting by utilizing satellite signals from nearby nations.

A more intriguing aspect is the exposure of advertisements.

The North Korean broadcast footage clearly showed global brand logos, such as Coca-Cola and McDonald's, displayed on the stadium's advertising boards.

Coca-Cola and McDonald's are representative brands that symbolize the United States.

Given that North Korea has long defined the U.S. as a hostile state, analysts suggest that the uncensored exposure of these brands on state television is highly unusual.

Reported by Kim Ji-wook | Video by Hong Jin-young | Graphics by Yang Hye-min | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.