List of North Korean websites banned in South Korea explained

, there are 65 North Korean-run and pro-North Korean websites blocked in South Korea. A test conducted by OpenNet Initiative in 2010 found that most websites blocked in South Korea are related to North Korea. The number of blocked North Korean sites has increased in recent years.

Blocking is based on the National Security Act, and coordinated by the Korea Communications Standards Commission, which also engages in Internet surveillance.[1] The commission is nominally independent but mainly appointed by the government.[2] The blocks are implemented by Internet service providers (ISPs).[3] South Korean law imposes punishments up to seven years of imprisonment for attempting to access blocked sites. According to Reporters Without Borders, blocking of North Korean websites is not viewed favorably by South Korean Internet users and some know how to circumvent it. Internet Archive's Wayback Machine and web caches of search engines are not blocked and include copies of North Korean websites.[4]

In 2005, up to 3,167 webpages unrelated to North Korea were found to be blocked due to blocking IPs at the router level. DNS tampering that prevents domain names to be resolved into correct IPs is also used.

In addition to entire websites, it is possible to block accounts on social media,[5] and some 13 accounts have been blocked on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter,[6] including Uriminzokkiri's Twitter account. Twitter, however, has proven impractical to censor because retweets of North Korean tweets by other users are not blocked.[7] Furthermore, any links to North Korean websites in the tweets are already blocked.[8] Individual contents of websites hosted in South Korea may also be deleted. In 2010, South Korean website administrators were forced to delete 80,499 pro-North Korea messages.[9]

Blocking has increased from previous years.[10] According to Reporters Without Borders, blocking sharply intensified during Lee Myung-bak's presidency. In OpenNet Initiative's 2006 test, the overwhelming majority of tested North Korean websites were blocked.[11] In 2007 and 2008, a significant number of tested North Korean sites remained blocked and blocking was consistent among Internet service providers.[12]

2014 list

The following North Korea-based or pro-North Korean websites were blocked in South Korea in 2014.[13]

Site URL(s) Description Hosted in/by
Air Koryo<nowiki>http://www.airkoryo.com.kp/</nowiki>||Website of North Korea's national airline||style="background-color: #D0E7FF"|In North Korea (Pyongyang)||[14] |-|Chochong||<nowiki>http://www.chochong.net/</nowiki>||Website of the League of Korean Youth Living in Japan (재일본조선청년동맹)||In Japan (Tokyo) by Nippon Rad||[15] |-|Cholsan Patent and Trademark Agency||<nowiki>http://175.45.176.14/ko/notice/cholsan/</nowiki>A Pyongyang-based patent and trademark attorneyIn North Korea's IP block on the website of Korea Computer Center[16]
Chongryon<nowiki>http://www.chongryon.com/</nowiki>||Japanese language website of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryon)||In Japan (Tokyo) by Kai Creates||[17] |-|Choson Sinbo||<nowiki>http://chosonsinbo.com/</nowiki>English and Korean language website of Choson Sinbo, a newspaper published by the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryon)In Japan (Tokyo) by Usen[18]
Elufa<nowiki>http://www.elufa.net/</nowiki>||Korean language video portal of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryon)||In Japan (Tokyo) by Otsuka||[19] |-|Faster Korea (Korean Sports Fund)||News, e-books and information on cultural exchangeIn North Korea's IP block by Star JV, on the same server as Naenara[20]
Great National Unity <nowiki>http://www.gnu.rep.kp/</nowiki>Korean language website targeted at audiences in South Korea, Japan and China In North Korea[21]
Korea Education Fund<nowiki>http://www.koredufund.org.kp/</nowiki>||English and Korean language website of a non-governmental organization coordinating support for education||style="background-color: #D0E7FF"|In North Korea's IP block by Star JV||[22] |-|Korea Elderly Care Fund||<nowiki>http://www.korelcfund.org.kp/</nowiki>||English and Korean language website of a non-governmental organization dedicated to well-being of the elderly||style="background-color: #D0E7FF"|In North Korea's IP block by Star JV||[23] |-|Korea International Film Festival|| ||Official website of the Korea International Film Festival and North Korean film industry||style="background-color: #D0E7FF"|In North Korea|||-|Korea National Insurance Corporation ||<nowiki>http://www.knic.com.kp/</nowiki>||Website of North Korea's state-run insurance company||style="background-color: #D0E7FF"|In North Korea (Pyongyang)||[24] |-|Korea News Service||<nowiki>http://www.kcna.co.jp/</nowiki>Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) newsIn Japan (Tokyo) by GMO Internet[25]
Korea Photo Service (Korea News Service)<nowiki>http://www.kns-photo.com/</nowiki>||Distributes Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) photos.||In Japan (Tokyo) by Usen||[26] |-|Korea Publication||<nowiki>http://www.korea-publ.com/</nowiki>
<nowiki>http://www.dprk-book.com/</nowiki>||Only partially blocked. Sells North Korean books, DVDs and stamps. Run by Beijing Sunyong Scientific Technology Trade company.||In China (Beijing) by China Telecom||[27] |-|Korean Dishes||<nowiki>http://www.cooks.org.kp/</nowiki>		Website of the Korean Association of Cooks. Includes recipes and restaurant reviews.In North Korea[28]
Korean Central News Agency (KCNA)<nowiki>http://www.kcna.kp/</nowiki>||Multilingual website of the main state news agency|| style="background-color: #D0E7FF" |In North Korea's IP block by Star JV||[29] |-|Koryo PAT Rainbow||<nowiki>http://175.45.176.14/ko/notice/rainbow/index.php?en</nowiki>||Website of a patent and trademark agency||style="background-color: #D0E7FF"|In North Korea's IP block on the website of Korea Computer Center||[30] |-|Minjok Tongshin||<nowiki>http://www.minjok.com/</nowiki>English and Korean language newsIn US (Pennsylvania) by 1&1 Internet[31]
Naenara (Korea Computer Center)<nowiki>http://naenara.com.kp/</nowiki> is a multilingual web portal with news, magazines and music.In North Korea's IP block by Star JV[32]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: South Korea . Reporters Without Borders . en.rsf.org . 4 October 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150912002734/http://en.rsf.org/surveillance-south-korea%2C39757.html . 12 September 2015.
  2. News: Why South Korea is really an internet dinosaur . S.C.S. . The Economist . 10 February 2014 . 13 September 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150913151109/http://www.economist.com/blogs/economist-explains/2014/02/economist-explains-3 . 13 September 2015 . live.
  3. Web site: OpenNet Initiative: Bulletin 009: Collateral Blocking: Filtering by South Korean Government of Pro-North Korean Websites . opennet.net . 31 January 2005 . 4 October 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160912162739/https://opennet.net/bulletins/009/ . 12 September 2016.
  4. Web site: On Reading North Korean Media: The Curse of the Web . Weiser . Martin . Sino-NK . 31 October 2016 . 23 July 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170907170426/http://sinonk.com/2016/10/31/on-reading-north-korean-media-the-curse-of-the-web/ . 7 September 2017.
  5. Web site: North Korea Uses Twitter For Propaganda Offensive . Sangwon Yoon . Associated Press . Kwang-tae Kim (AP) . The Huffington Post . 25 May 2011 . 4 October 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141007062045/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/16/north-korea-twitter-propa_n_682920.html . 7 October 2014 . live.
  6. Web site: Censorship on pro-NK websites tight . Lee Tae-hoon . koreatimes . 9 September 2010 . 4 October 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151208212750/http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2010/12/113_72788.html . 8 December 2015 . live.
  7. Web site: Retweeting DPRK lands activist with suspended sentance. Martyn Williams. North Korea Tech. 24 November 2012. 4 October 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151210200421/http://www.northkoreatech.org/2012/11/24/retweeting-dprk-lands-activist-with-suspended-sentance/. 10 December 2015.
  8. Web site: Blocking Twitter/Facebook Not the Answer . Mok Yong Jae . . 25 August 2010 . 4 October 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151210200050/http://www.dailynk.com/english/read.php?cataId=nk00100&num=6733 . 10 December 2015.
  9. Web site: No. of police requests to delete pro-NK content leaps 45-fold . english.donga.com . 17 September 2011 . 4 October 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151210194349/http://english.donga.com/srv/service.php3?bicode=040000&biid=2011091738568 . 10 December 2015 . live.
  10. Web site: South Korea . OpenNet Initiative . opennet.net . 6 August 2012 . 4 October 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150911095322/https://opennet.net/research/profiles/south-korea . 11 September 2015.
  11. Web site: Internet Filtering in South Korea in 2006–2007 . OpenNet Initiative . opennet.net . 4 October 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151222100523/https://opennet.net/studies/south-korea2007 . 22 December 2015.
  12. Web site: South Korea . OpenNet Initiative . 26 December 2010 . 4 October 2015 . 6 June 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120606130645/http://opennet.net/research/profiles/south-korea.
  13. Web site: The North Korean Website List. North Korea Tech. 17 July 2014 . 3 October 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161223193612/http://www.northkoreatech.org/the-north-korean-website-list/. 23 December 2016.
  14. Web site: Air Koryo. North Korea Tech. 4 November 2012. 3 October 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151007092933/http://www.northkoreatech.org/the-north-korean-website-list/air-koryo-3/. 7 October 2015.
  15. Web site: Chochong. North Korea Tech. 9 December 2010. 4 October 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151004064242/http://www.northkoreatech.org/the-north-korean-website-list/chochong/. 4 October 2015.
  16. Web site: Cholsan Patent and Trademark Agency. North Korea Tech. 19 December 2010. 4 October 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151009080629/http://www.northkoreatech.org/the-north-korean-website-list/cholsan-patent-and-trademark-agency/. 9 October 2015.
  17. Web site: Chrongryon. North Korea Tech. 8 December 2010. 4 October 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151009075704/http://www.northkoreatech.org/the-north-korean-website-list/chrongryon/. 9 October 2015.
  18. Web site: Choson Sinbo. North Korea Tech. 3 June 2012. 4 October 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151006103029/http://www.northkoreatech.org/the-north-korean-website-list/choson-sinbo/. 6 October 2015.
  19. Web site: Elufa. North Korea Tech. 9 December 2010. 4 October 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151009074535/http://www.northkoreatech.org/the-north-korean-website-list/elufa/. 9 October 2015.
  20. Web site: Committee for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries. North Korea Tech. 11 January 2011. 3 October 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151007090556/http://www.northkoreatech.org/the-north-korean-website-list/committee-for-cultural-relations-with-foreign-countries/. 7 October 2015.
  21. Web site: Great National Unity. North Korea Tech. 10 February 2013. 3 October 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151009080111/http://www.northkoreatech.org/the-north-korean-website-list/great-national-unity/. 9 October 2015.
  22. Web site: Korea Education Fund. North Korea Tech. 5 May 2011. 3 October 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151009082114/http://www.northkoreatech.org/the-north-korean-website-list/korea-education-fund/. 9 October 2015.
  23. Web site: Korea Elderly Care Fund. North Korea Tech. 25 May 2011. 3 October 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151009123257/http://www.northkoreatech.org/the-north-korean-website-list/korea-elderly-care-fund/. 9 October 2015.
  24. Web site: Korea National Insurance Corporation. North Korea Tech. 10 June 2014. 3 October 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151009081928/http://www.northkoreatech.org/the-north-korean-website-list/korea-national-insurance-corporation/. 9 October 2015.
  25. Web site: Korea News Service. North Korea Tech. 8 December 2010. 4 October 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151007094449/http://www.northkoreatech.org/the-north-korean-website-list/korea-news-service/. 7 October 2015.
  26. Web site: Korea Photo Service. North Korea Tech. 9 December 2010. 4 October 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151009081408/http://www.northkoreatech.org/the-north-korean-website-list/korea-photo-service/. 9 October 2015.
  27. Web site: Korea Publication. North Korea Tech. 8 December 2010. 4 October 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151007104151/http://www.northkoreatech.org/the-north-korean-website-list/korea-publication/. 7 October 2015.
  28. Web site: Korean Association of Cooks. North Korea Tech. 17 July 2014. 3 October 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151009123325/http://www.northkoreatech.org/the-north-korean-website-list/korean-association-of-cooks/. 9 October 2015.
  29. Web site: Korean Central News Agency. North Korea Tech. 16 April 2011. 3 October 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151009081203/http://www.northkoreatech.org/the-north-korean-website-list/korean-central-news-agency/. 9 October 2015.
  30. Web site: Koryo PAT Rainbow. North Korea Tech. 19 December 2010. 4 October 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151009081121/http://www.northkoreatech.org/the-north-korean-website-list/koryo-pat-rainbow/. 9 October 2015.
  31. Web site: Minjok Tongshin. North Korea Tech. 9 December 2010. 4 October 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151009082146/http://www.northkoreatech.org/the-north-korean-website-list/minjok-tongshin/. 9 October 2015.
  32. Web site: Naenara. North Korea Tech. 12 March 2012. 3 October 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151009081800/http://www.northkoreatech.org/the-north-korean-website-list/naenara/. 9 October 2015.

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