This tells me there's a lot we don't know about NK. Lots of people seem to assume maximum oppression/censorship by default, when the reality might be more nuanced.
Of course, this sort of unfiltered access is still extremely restricted: these are the children of the elite, the literally hereditary elite caste (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songbun), who are investments for the state for being sent abroad for the hacking campaigns (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2018-02-07/inside-ki...) or for the domestic surveillance apparatus. (Someone is developing all of the clever ways they have to restrict and monitor smartphones: https://www.gwern.net/docs/technology/2017-kretchun.pdf And it'll keep going. 'Reducing traffic jams' my arse. But at least we have more 'transparency' now...)
They are granted access for that purpose, and they know their families' welfare and positions are hostage, and are in no hurry to jeopardize their charmed lives in Pyongyang. You don't live in Pyongyang, be taught English, go through university there through to a master's, without absolutely impeccable credentials and a lot to lose. It is unsurprising that they rarely 'abuse' that privilege. (Think of the closed cities in the USSR, or shopping at the foreign-currency stores, or travel abroad.)
Think of people living in rural Appalachia (a place I’m from). Most don’t think about how “good” life could be outside of that area where job opportunities are more plentiful and standard of living is higher. There’s a very strong party allegiance that’s almost religious. Caring about other countries extends to knowing just the names of some major economies and not much more. Unlike NK, they’re completely free people, but they’re happy enough being there with many never going more than a few miles from their home town or researching what the outside world is like. Most people there just don’t care. And I’m not implying it’s bad, just not an uncommon mindset.
I was born in the USSR. No we did not think that the media was propaganda. At least most of the people I knew. And USSR's own propaganda was so cheesy that it was not believable to normal people. My parents were scientists and I also studied in university and had become scientist myself. So my experience might be somewhat not all encompassing because of the environment.
What I do find now is that the amount of corporate, media and government propaganda in the west is insane and is as cheesy as the one of former USSR.
Also the amount of venom and paranoia in this thread is depressing.
Indeed. And it's gone on long enough (on TV) that now it's hit the re-runs. "24" in particular did not age well ...
As an American it's very depressing.
Did they think that would work?
... problem is, it may not help convince you that Stalinism / "Actually existing Socialism" is the answer. (In case you don't recognize this term: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real_socialism)