This file photo captured from North Korea's state-run Korean Central Television, shows a female announcer appearing on a TV news program aired by the North's television station, May 16, 2022. Yonhap

North Korea has been using a Russian communication satellite, instead of a Chinese one, to transmit its state-run television broadcasts, causing a setback in access in South Korea to the North's broadcasting, Seoul's unification ministry said Tuesday.

Since June 20, North Korea's state-run Korean Central Television has transmitted its broadcasts using Russia's Express 103 satellite, according to LyngSat, a provider of data about global satellite TVs and radio.

Previously, the North sent broadcast signals using ChinaSat 12, a Chinese communication satellite. Since Monday, reception of the North's TV signals using the satellite has not been possible in the South, making it difficult for media outlets and government agencies in the country to access the North's TV broadcasts.

"North Korea stopped using an existing Chinese satellite and started transmitting broadcasts via a Russian satellite. This caused the reception of satellite broadcasting to remain restricted in some areas in South Korea," the ministry said.

The ministry said it has been monitoring North Korea's broadcasts with the cooperation of related agencies and is in talks to address the technical restrictions.

It remains unknown why North Korea has switched to using the Russian satellite. The operation of the ChinaSat 12 is set to expire in 2027 since it began a 15-year mission in 2012.

The move came after the North's leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin held summit talks in Pyongyang on June 19 and signed a new partnership treaty on stronger military and other cooperation.

Currently, South Korean media outlets can access North Korea's state-controlled broadcasts through satellite TVs. But ordinary people are prohibited from having access to the North's media and TV channels in general. (Yonhap)