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SEOUL, South Korea – The world’s most isolated nation, North Korea extended its propaganda reach into the social media sphere this week, launching live streaming of selected programming on the official Facebook page of state broadcaster Korean Central Television.
So far, the Korean Central Television (KCTV) Facebook page has attracted 1,500 “likes.”
South Korea, however, swiftly blocked the page this week. All broadcasts from the North are blocked in South Korea in accordance with “national security laws.” South Korean nationals are prohibited from accessing official North Korean websites from home turf.
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According to the South Korean Yonhap news agency, South Korea’s National Police Agency said it had formally asked the Korea Communication Standard Commission to block the KCTV live feed, as “the site will be classified as being off-limits because of materials that conflict with national interest,” a government officer said.
North Korea has a domestic Intranet service which is accessible by a limited number of users, comprised of the country and military’s super-elite. Analysts estimate that a few hundred North Koreans — or, at most, roughly 1,000 — have access to the Intranet.
Uriminzokkiri.com has been Pyonyang’s main international online presence for propaganda videos. The site also has Twitter and Flickr feeds and is known for its regular dispatches condemning South Korea and the United States.
Meanwhile, planned high-level inter-Korean talks, which would have been the first official meeting between the two Koreas in six years, were called off at the last minute Tuesday. No clear reason was provided as to why the session, which was expected to help ease recently escalating tensions, was canceled less than 24 hours before it was due to take place Wednesday.
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