For years, the democratic government of South Korea, with the highest rate of internet penetration in the world, has defied internet freedoms by blocking access to the few North Korean websites out there. Sites once hosted in Japan and China, are now being natively hosted from Pyongyang, but South Korea has adapted its filters to block the new .kr addresses as well. In total, approximately 30 websites either hosted in, or with strong connection with the DPRK, have been censored. North Korea has greatly enhanced its online presence, embracing social media such as Twitter and Youtube (and attempts at Facebook that have been blocked by administrators), and the South Korean government has been scrambling to keep on top of the filtering. Why would a democratic country extolling the virtues of freedom and free speech seek to censor the North’s propaganda?
The National Security Act, an anti-communism measure in the South founded after the Korean War, forbids anti-government ideas, organizations and communications, which of course North Korea specializes in. It can be argued that the only reason the DPRK has a presence on the internet is to spread their propaganda to the outside world, and the communication is certainly one-way. The North’s blunt propaganda, however, would have a tough time convincing most South Koreans to join the cause of their impoverished socialist nation.
