By Geoffrey Cain
PRI’s The World
Jun 10, 2013
SEOUL, South Korea — The National Police Agency said on Thursday that it’s requesting the South Korean government block the “official” Facebook fan page of Korean Central Television, or KCTV, the Korea Herald reports.
In case you’ve never seen it, KCTV stars a cast of melodramatic announcers who praise the Supreme Leader, Kim Jong Un, and the glorious achievements of the army.
When global politics get tumultuous, they’ll wish the occasional inferno of death on the US and South Korea. It’s an entertaining watch.
One problem: KCTV’s “official” Facebook page could be fake, says Martyn Williams, blogger at North Korea Tech and a correspondent for NKNews.
Williams points to a few inconsistencies. First, the links actually go to Uriminzokkiri, a pro-North Korea propaganda website in Beijing rather than Pyongyang.
Second, the fan page put up a photograph revealing a “behind the scenes” look at KCTV. But Williams published the same image on his blog in October 2012.
Under the current interpretation of South Korea’s 1948 National Security Law, the Korean Communications Commission (KCC) blocks access to websites deemed treacherous and sympathetic to the North.
But did an impostor fool the police this time? Or do they suspect something is amiss — but are banning it anyway because it still could violate the law? We might know in a few days.
The article was originally published in PRI’s The World