Information Science and Technology (정보과학과 기술 / Chongbo Kwahak kwa Kisul)
Information Science and Technology
정보과학과 기술 / Chongbo Kwahak kwa Kisul
Translation and backgrounder by Stephen Mercado
A bimonthly journal covering techniques in information storage, retrieval and processing, published by the Central Information Agency for Science and Technology.
Journal Title: The journal title has various renderings. Information Science and Technology is the name in English. Its name in a simplified version of the standard McCune-Reischauer (M-R) transliteration system and the actual title in Korean are listed above. Its full M-R transliteration, as used in catalogs of the Library of Congress and other major libraries, is Chŏngbo kwahak kwa kisul.
Author Information: For research papers prior to Issue 5, 2019, many author names appear with professional affiliations and/or such information as academic degree and title. More recent issues lack affiliations, showing only names and, in a few cases, academic degree or title. The publisher, the Central Information Agency for Science and Technology (CIAST), also known as the Central Scientific and Technological Information Agency (CSTIA), is a typical affiliation, presumably because the organization publishes the journal. The State Academy of Sciences (SAS) is another common affiliation, including such specific SAS units as the Control Machine Institute. Other than those, a wide range of universities are represented, from such prominent academic institutions as Kim Chaek University of Technology, Kim Il Sung University, and the University of Science to such regional schools as the Sinuiju Industrial University and Hyesan University of Education.
Subject Matter: The articles have to do with developments in such fields of information science and technology as computer science, electronics, and mathematics.
References: Authors publishing in this journal tend to cite domestic, Chinese, and Western monographs and journal articles. Domestic citations include 조선우주협회지 [Journal of the Korea Space Association]. Chinese journals referenced include 管理工程学报 (Journal of Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management). Western citations include the journals International Journal of Automation and Computing and Mathematical and Computational Applications. This journal, including the titles as well as the publishing sources, publishes fuller references than those in journals published by the Science and Encyclopedia Publishing House.
Sections: Each issue comprises the front cover; an unnumbered page with a framed quotation of one of the three generations of the Kim family; TOC in Korean; articles; publishing information; and back cover. The TOC starts with the section “Research Papers” (연구론문) and ends with the section “News” (소식). Following the last item is the publishing information.
Publisher: The publisher, CIAST, is the Chungang Kwahak Kisul Tongbosa in simplified M-R and 중앙과학기술통보사 in Korean. The publisher’s name appears in Korean on the front cover and the two English versions of the name appear in various North Korean media. The publisher’s name also appears in Korean on the journal’s cover and information page.
The publisher publishes an issue every other month, starting in January, totaling six issues per year. Issue 4 (July), 2022, according to the table of contents (TOC) and the publishing information page, was cumulative issue number 180. Atop the TOC was the indication that the publication was the journal of the Korea Science and Technology Information Society (조선과학기술 정보학회). The publishing information page also indicated that there was an editorial committee (no members named), the publisher was the Central Information Agency for Science and Technology, the place of printing was the Moranbong Printing Plant, the date of printing was 10 July Juche 111 (2022), and the date of issue was 21 July Juche 111 (2022). There was no copyright information, periodical publication number or international standard serial number (ISSN). Unlike Kisul Hyoksin, another CIAST publication, the journal had no ISSN or bar code on the back cover. The publishing information has shown changes over time; for example, in Issue 1, 2015—the earliest issue available—the place of printing was the Pyongyang General Printing Plant, and the information page showed no mailing address or telephone number.