List of North Korean websites banned in South Korea on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
, there are 65
High Impact List
(2004–2005) at
, there are 65 North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...
n-run and pro-North Korean website
A website (also written as a web site) is a collection of web pages and related content that is identified by a common domain name and published on at least one web server. Examples of notable websites are Google Search, Google, Facebook, Amaz ...
s blocked in South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
. A test conducted by OpenNet Initiative
The OpenNet Initiative (ONI) was a joint project whose goal was to monitor and report on internet filtering and surveillance practices by nations. The project employed a number of technical means, as well as an international network of investigato ...
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
The Korea Communications Standards Commission () is an institution of the South Korean government that regulates communications including film, television, radio, and internet.
At its formation in 2008, the KCSC replaced an earlier body, the In ...
, which also engages in Internet surveillance
Computer and network surveillance is the monitoring of computer activity and data stored locally on a computer or data being transferred over computer networks such as the Internet. This monitoring is often carried out covertly and may be comple ...
. The commission is nominally independent but mainly appointed by the government
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...
. The blocks are implemented by Internet service provider
An Internet service provider (ISP) is an organization that provides services for accessing, using, or participating in the Internet. ISPs can be organized in various forms, such as commercial, community-owned, non-profit, or otherwise private ...
s (ISPs). 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
The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...
's Wayback Machine
The Wayback Machine is a digital archive of the World Wide Web founded by the Internet Archive, a nonprofit based in San Francisco, California. Created in 1996 and launched to the public in 2001, it allows the user to go "back in time" and see ...
and web caches
A Web cache (or HTTP cache) is a system for optimizing the World Wide Web. It is implemented both client-side and server-side. The caching of multimedias and other files can result in less overall delay when browsing the Web.
Parts of the syste ...
of search engines
A search engine is a software system designed to carry out web searches. They search the World Wide Web in a systematic way for particular information specified in a textual web search query. The search results are generally presented in a ...
are not blocked and include copies of North Korean websites.
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 name
A domain name is a string that identifies a realm of administrative autonomy, authority or control within the Internet. Domain names are often used to identify services provided through the Internet, such as websites, email services and more. As ...
s to be resolved into correct IPs is also used.
In addition to entire websites, it is possible to block accounts on social media, and some 13 accounts have been blocked on Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
, YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
and Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
, including Uriminzokkiri
''Uriminzokkiri'' () is a North Korean state-controlled news website, much of whose content is syndicated from other news groups within the country, such as KCNA. Aside from on their own website, Uriminzokkiri also distributes information over ...
's Twitter account. Twitter, however, has proven impractical to censor because retweets of North Korean tweets by other users are not blocked. Furthermore, any links to North Korean websites in the tweets are already blocked. 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.
Blocking has increased from previous years. According to Reporters Without Borders, blocking sharply intensified during Lee Myung-bak
Lee Myung-bak (; ; ; born 19 December 1941) is a South Korean businessman and politician who served as the 10th president of South Korea from 2008 to 2013. Before his presidency, he was the CEO of Hyundai Engineering and Construction, and the ma ...
's presidency. In OpenNet Initiative's 2006 test, the overwhelming majority of tested North Korean websites were blocked. In 2007 and 2008, a significant number of tested North Korean sites remained blocked and blocking was consistent among Internet service providers.
2014 list
The following North Korea-based or pro-North Korean websites were blocked in South Korea in 2014.See also
*Internet censorship in South Korea
Internet censorship in South Korea is prevalent, and contains some unique elements such as the blocking of pro-North Korea websites, and to a lesser extent, Japanese websites, which led to it being categorized as "pervasive" in the conflict/securi ...
*Internet in North Korea
Internet access is available in North Korea, but is only permitted with special authorization. It is primarily used for government purposes, and also by foreigners. The country has some broadband infrastructure, including fiber optic links betwe ...
*.kp
.kp is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). It was created on 24 September 2007.
History
The DPRK applied for the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) in 2004. ICANN, ...
* Kwangmyong network
*North Korea Tech
North Korea Tech is a US-based blog authored by British journalist Martyn Williams which covers consumer electronics and technology developments in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. It was established in 2010. North Korea Tech is based in ...
Notes
References
External links
*High Impact List
(2004–2005) at
OpenNet Initiative
The OpenNet Initiative (ONI) was a joint project whose goal was to monitor and report on internet filtering and surveillance practices by nations. The project employed a number of technical means, as well as an international network of investigato ...
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:North Korean websites banned in South Korea
Lists of websites
Internet censorship in South Korea
Websites banned in South Korea
South Korea communications-related lists
Banned in South Korea
North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...