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North Korea Looking For Friends On Facebook

crimeandpunishment writes "North Korea has apparently decided this social networking thing is worth doing. Just days after launching Twitter and YouTube accounts, it appears to have added Facebook to the list. It probably won't get too many friends in South Korea, which has already blocked access to the North Korean Twitter account for containing 'illegal information' under its security laws...and says the Facebook page could suffer the same fate."

183 comments

  1. Rather stupid... by Darkness404 · · Score: 1

    This is rather stupid, yes, lets just put our national identity on servers owned by governments hostile to us... Makes perfect sense right?

    --
    Taxation is legalized theft, no more, no less.
    1. Re:Rather stupid... by ZERO1ZERO · · Score: 3, Insightful

      no different than most other face book users .. Except replace 'national identity' with 'personal identity' and 'governments hostile' with '3rd party organisation that has agendas other than making it easy for you to post pics of fluffy bunnies and Like This'

    2. Re:Rather stupid... by WrongSizeGlass · · Score: 4, Funny

      no different than most other face book users ..

      It has a completely meaning when North Korea 'cancels' the account of one of its citizen.

    3. Re:Rather stupid... by DarkKnightRadick · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Their citizens can get on the Internets?

      --
      "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death." Proverbs 16:25 (NKJV)
    4. Re:Rather stupid... by jonfr · · Score: 4, Informative

      No. Only the military can get to the internet, and people connected to the leader of North-Korea. Everyone else can use the North-Korea intranet that they have if that person is lucky.

      The rest has nothing but media owned by the government, that is spewing out propaganda about South-Korea, U.S and others.

      North-Korea does not have official connection with the internet.

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_in_North_Korea

    5. Re:Rather stupid... by Mr.+Freeman · · Score: 3, Insightful

      "lets just put our national identity on servers owned by governments hostile to us"

      It's not like they're uploading critical information (i.e. classified materials) to facebook. The worst the US could do is to deface the page. Of course if they were going to do that then they could have already set up a fake north Korean page and filled it with lies. Of course, there's no point in doing either of these things because there's nothing to be gained. It's not like the US needs to change the public view of North Korea.

      --
      -1 disagree is not a modifier for a reason. -1 troll, flaimbait, redundant, overrated are NOT acceptable substitutes.
    6. Re:Rather stupid... by hedwards · · Score: 1

      To be fair though, it's just as well, considering how much trouble you can get in for disagreeing with the regime or failing to look happy enough.

    7. Re:Rather stupid... by rauschenberg · · Score: 1

      Poke you?

    8. Re:Rather stupid... by zx-15 · · Score: 1

      I just followed a few links from the one you've given. And yeah, apparently there is a national intranet in North Korea Kwangmyong with 'free' dial-up access. I wonder if anyone getting on that network is being monitored.

      Anyway this whole thing looks so deliciously similar to a network in movie Avalon. Actually it's like that movie is reenacted in real life in North Korea. Oppressive communist government? Check. Network somewhat accessible to the general public, from whimsically unreliable terminals. Check (I got a hunch that all the network equipment in NK is old an whimsically unreliable). Brain-computer interface. Not so much, but I believe in the movie it was more of a plot device than anything.

    9. Re:Rather stupid... by Compaqt · · Score: 1

      South Korea has Facebook.com access. North Korea has PoliceBlotter.kp

      In South Korea, people Blip when they buy something. In North Korea, they don't need to because there's nothing to buy.

      Also, in South Korea only old people use email. But in North Korea, Nigeria can't email them.

      In South Korea, they can access the whole Internets. But in North Korea, they have no goatse.cx.

      So, you see, it's a wash.

      --
      I'm not a lawyer, but I play one on the Internet. Blog
    10. Re:Rather stupid... by e4g4 · · Score: 3, Informative

      I highly recommend The Vice Guide to North Korea for some insight into what their citizens can and can't do.

      --
      The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources. - Albert Einstein
    11. Re:Rather stupid... by Evil+Shabazz · · Score: 1

      Really? Cuz I got a completely impression... ;)

      --
      Down with the career politician! SUPPORT TERM LIMITS
    12. Re:Rather stupid... by capo_dei_capi · · Score: 0

      servers owned by governments hostile

      Uh, last time I checked facebook wasn't a socialist state enterprise.

    13. Re:Rather stupid... by mdwh2 · · Score: 1

      Yet you're happy to sign up for a Slashdot account, using a 3rd party server. Are you seriously saying that that's just as weird as if "North Korea" had an account to post on here?

    14. Re:Rather stupid... by Creepy · · Score: 1

      In North Korea, the people are privileged if they have electricity, much less internet. Take a look at satellite photos of Korea at night - South Korea has huge swaths of white. North Korea is black.

      North Korea is a communist dictatorship - by definition the state gives you everything you need and thus there is no reason to buy anything. Mostly that means Kim Jong Il uses tax money to build elaborate palaces and the only reason he doesn't have a Ceauescu-like revolution is because of his massive army and repression of both the people and the press. In fact, I would say his regime is a near perfect mirror of Saddam Hussein's regime.

    15. Re:Rather stupid... by ZERO1ZERO · · Score: 1

      My Real name is ZERO1ZERO. You've found me out.

    16. Re:Rather stupid... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      All Citizens over age 11 or 12 Able bodied Must joint military.

      North Korea want friends?

      Get Orthopedic Elevator Shoe Manufacturer for the circus height freak demented Boss man
        Leg lengths Do not match

    17. Re:Rather stupid... by ShieldW0lf · · Score: 1

      South Korea is so wealthy because the western corporations are resources money into it, as a way to encroach on Asia. North Korea is so militarized because China is dumping resources into it, as a way to create a buffer zone between the western corporations and their citizens.

      Both civilizations are the way they are because the rest of the world demanded that they be that way.

      --
      -1 Uncomfortable Truth
  2. North Korea... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    ...is Best Korea.

    1. Re:North Korea... by Suki+I · · Score: 3, Funny

      You forgot the AWESOME visual! (Safe for work outside of the Koreas)

    2. Re:North Korea... by hedwards · · Score: 1

      You mean outside of South Korea, somehow I doubt that Kim Jong Il would be upset if you had materials suggesting that North Korea is super awesome.

    3. Re:North Korea... by Sulphur · · Score: 1

      And others would die in a sea of flaming spam.

    4. Re:North Korea... by dj245 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      My wife is Korean, but born in Japan. Her grandparents traveled to Japan about 65 years ago. I don't have their whole story, but it isn't a good one. The US is at least partly responsible for dividing the two Korea's at the end of WWII, which eventually led to the Korean War. The Koreans in recent history have had a horrible time and most of it is the fault of foreign power (Japan, US/USSR/ etc). The progress South Korea has made since the end of combat operations (the war never ended) is amazing considering all of this.

      At first, I thought the Best Korea joke was hilarious. But now, I think its really a tragedy.

      --
      Even those who arrange and design shrubberies are under considerable economic stress at this period in history.
  3. Zynga by Arancaytar · · Score: 4, Funny

    Kim Jong-Il heard about Farmville and thought that sounded fun-.

    1. Re:Zynga by WrongSizeGlass · · Score: 1

      Kim Jong-Il heard about Farmville and thought that sounded fun-.

      Really? I heard he was going to use it to better train his farmers.

    2. Re:Zynga by Suki+I · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Kim Jong-Il heard about Farmville and thought that sounded fun-.

      Really? I heard he was going to use it to better train his farmers.

      You can virtually feed a nation with a Farmville farm. Another high point, the traffic girls have a place to vent too.

    3. Re:Zynga by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Malware vector.

    4. Re:Zynga by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You can feed a virtual nation with a Farmville farm.

      FTFY.

    5. Re:Zynga by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Thank you. Typing too fast!

    6. Re:Zynga by CodeBuster · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Kim Jong-Il heard about Farmville and thought that sounded fun

      Mr Kim, or as he prefers to be called "the dear leader", doesn't need Facebook to play games with farming or people's lives. He has control over millions of real people, all of whom can be forced to participate in whatever macabre social experiment he chooses to conduct, except that here in the real world there are no saves, no continues and you get only 1 life. The continued existence of the North Korean Worker's Party and the monstrous state that it has produced is one of the greatest ongoing travesties of social justice in our time. It is hard to imagine any other place on earth where the ordinary citizen is worse off than in North Korea. At least in Somalia and Sudan the people have some inkling of what the outside world is like and whether or not they are being lied to. The people of North Korea, on the other hand, have been so thoroughly brainwashed and controlled that the outside world essentially does not exist for them or at least not in any way that is meaningful. Even Cuba is practically a paradise by way of comparison to North Korea. Mr Kim and his father are disgraces to the entire human race, in the same league as Hitler and Stalin before them, and history will forever damn their names, just as surely as Hitler and Stalin are damned, when Korea is eventually re-united under a freely elected and democratic government of by and for the people of Korea. In the meantime the rest of the free world should do whatever it can to hasten that day.

    7. Re:Zynga by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

      Kim Jong-Il heard about Farmville and thought that sounded fun-.

      No, I think it's just because he's so wonewy. So vewy wonewy.

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    8. Re:Zynga by lwsimon · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Re-uniting Korea is going to be a nightmare. The South's infrastructure cannot handle the hordes of starving people form the North, and those people will never, ever be able to live productive lives in a free society - they simply don't know how.

      Reunification will cause an immediate economic collapse like the world has seldom seen, followed by at least one generation of chaos as the brainwashed masses slowly die off from old age.

      Of course, it needs to be done - but it is going to *suck*.

      --
      Learn about Photography Basics.
    9. Re:Zynga by Per+Wigren · · Score: 3, Insightful

      [North Korean] people will never, ever be able to live productive lives in a free society - they simply don't know how.

      Most East Germans managed to adapt pretty well after the reunification, although North Korea is probably a bit worse than the GDR was. I don't think that Koreans are THAT much different from Germans. But yeah, it isn't going to be easy.

      --
      My other account has a 3-digit UID.
    10. Re:Zynga by LordNimon · · Score: 1

      North Korea is probably a bit worse than the GDR was

      A bit worse?

      --
      And the men who hold high places must be the ones who start
      To mold a new reality... closer to the heart
    11. Re:Zynga by Per+Wigren · · Score: 1

      Probably a lot worse but it's mostly speculation anyway. The only thing we know for sure is that NK's borders are even more strictly controlled than GDR's. It's hard to tell how their general public (those who do not openly oppose the regime) is treated besides being completely isolated from the outside world.

      --
      My other account has a 3-digit UID.
    12. Re:Zynga by 0111+1110 · · Score: 1

      Why does it need to be done? The important thing is bringing North Korea into the modern world. To make the North Koreans productive again. Reunification is not necessary for that. Just economic reform. Of course the North Koreans have to want it and maybe they don't.

      --
      Quite an experience to live in fear, isn't it? That's what it is to be a slave.
    13. Re:Zynga by mobby_6kl · · Score: 4, Interesting

      As another poster pointed out, "a bit worse" is an understatement. East Germany was much better off relative to West than North Korea is to South. Here's a post I made about this on another forum:

      In the long run, sure. But even if DPRK were to collapse tomorrow, it's just not feasible for the two countries to fully reunite within several decades, at least. The comparison to West/East germany was already made, but maybe some numbers will make the scale of the problem sink in better. Raising the taxes in the south by a few percent isn't going to do it.

      Population
      East Germany: 16m
      West Germany: 63m
      3.9x higher population
      GDP per capita (couldn't find the raw numbers)
      West Germany has ~2.5x GDP

      Population
      North 24m
      South 48m
      2x higher population
      GDP per capita
      North 555
      South 19,300
      South is 35x higher. Thirty five times!

      From a pure humanistic point of view it would probably be better if the united Koreas were together but half as rich as the South used to be than for both to continue as-is, but I don't see that happening. There were twice as many West Germans for every East German as there are South Koreans to North Koreans, and the productivity and education was also much closer. The huge disparity in Koreas means that southerners could just adopt a northerner with their disposable income, but actually bringing them up to a comparable level would be a mind-boggling task.

      To be honest, I don't know what could be the other option. If it collapsed on its own without our involvement, the best bet would probably to leave them be and hope somebody more moderate gets into power and then slowly open up the trade and travel until the country reaches parity. If, on the other hand, there was an armed conflict and we (as in, everybody who isn't DPRK) rolled in to Pyongyang, my guess would be to install a puppet government and have them implement reforms while we pump in aid (insert your favorite development path), again, until there isn't such a huge difference. The population question would probably be the most difficult -- do we restrict travel, only let people into the north, allow working or student visas?

    14. Re:Zynga by Per+Wigren · · Score: 1

      I'm sure your economic calculations are pretty much correct and that "a bit worse" was a big understatement from my side. Great post!

      I mostly took issue with "[North Korean] people will never, ever be able to live productive lives in a free society - they simply don't know how." as it comes off as quite racist. I'm sure that most North Korean individuals would be able to live a productive life in a free society IF given the chance.

      --
      My other account has a 3-digit UID.
    15. Re:Zynga by Notquitecajun · · Score: 1

      That's a rather generous use of the word "racist."

      I honestly think you could be wrong here. It's not an issue of race AT ALL - it's an issue of ingrained culture. We're seeing it in Iraq, in particular, as well as in Russia. Adaptation to freedom DOESN'T happen "overnight." There's cultural issues to work through, issues that are ingrained into people for GENERATIONS. I'm not saying it can't - or shouldn't - be tried, just that it's not going to be as easy as you're making out.

    16. Re:Zynga by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Have you been to the former East Germany? Two weeks ago, I did. I was shocked at the state it's in. There were quite a number of roads that obviously hadn't seen maintenance in 30+ years; in fact some roads were closed and appeared to be just abandoned because the government simply couldn't pay for their maintenance anymore. The cause? I can't blame communism, really. Their neighbours, the Czechs, now have roads that are even better than West Germany's. I personally suspect it was a botched shock reunification. Wages shot up way faster than production, which obviously resulted in a drop of employment and taxes, drove up unemployment benefits, and thus catapulted local government debts. Nevermind the fact that those road repairs would have to be done at those high wages/low productivity.

    17. Re:Zynga by Per+Wigren · · Score: 1

      Yes, I have, about five weeks ago. Yes, the infrastructure is still way behind in a lot of places but the people, the former East Germans themselves, have adapted well. Take any given East German person and he/she will most likely be able to work and be as productive as the average West German if given the chance. My point was that the problem is not with the East German (or North Korean) individuals, it's on a different level.

      --
      My other account has a 3-digit UID.
  4. North Korean dancing video by Jon+Abbott · · Score: 1

    So North Korea is publishing videos of their soldiers dancing on YouTube now. Seems to me like they are trying to compete with the Filipino prisoners who performed Thriller.

  5. no points by theheadlessrabbit · · Score: 4, Interesting

    As much as I disagree with just about everything NK stands for, South Korea isn't winning an points in my book by blocking access.

    note: before any westerners point out that blocking access will only spike curiosity and make those in SK more interested it the account, I would like to point out that Korean culture values authority far more than ours, and from my own experience living there, the children in south Korea had little to no interest in the North.

    --
    -I only code in BASIC.-
    1. Re:no points by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      As a Korean currently living in New Zealand who actively follows the Korean politics, I agree with the parent post, including the bit about young children having no interest in the North. (But just want to add that as they grow up, they tend to get more interested.)

      The current South Korean government claims that they want the Korean peninsula united, and yet always does the exact opposite of what is required for us to unite.

      President Lee Myung Bak (2MB for short, commonly used to make fun of his brain power) is turning out to be the worst president ever, and that is NOT an easy thing to achieve.

    2. Re:no points by DarkKnightRadick · · Score: 0, Troll

      Must be taking notes from Obama.

      --
      "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death." Proverbs 16:25 (NKJV)
    3. Re:no points by Krahar · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Huh, having North Korea and South Korea unite into one country sounds completely bizarre. I don't see how it could happen other than if South Korea invades North Korea or the North Korean government collapses. Is that what South Korea is really talking about when saying they want to "unite"?

    4. Re:no points by fysician · · Score: 1

      I don't know which generation you are, but there have been worse presidents than 2MB, as bad as he might be. Did you live through the military dictatorship of 70s, 80s, an 90s. I don't think you have a clear understanding of what it was like when we had 4 stars in the blue office as head of our nation. If you are one of those who romanticize the "achievements" of the genocidal demons like Park Jung Hee and Jun Doo Hwan, you are either insane or as evil as those demons.

    5. Re:no points by fysician · · Score: 1

      I admire your noble standard for morality of governmental control over its citizens, but I have to point out every government has a strategic interest to block few very controversial information from getting exposed to the general public. One good example would be the recent expose of the classified military documents related to the war in Afghanistan. Why can't the US government be completely honest about what's happening in the US?

    6. Re:no points by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      I currently reside in South Korea, and this is nothing new. There are plenty of sites that are blocked (and not just pertaining to North Korea).

      I did notice that it seems the censorship is quite specific and not thorough.

      I've ran across a few porno sites that are blocked, but more which are not. I've noticed a 'adult bb/forum' that gets banned every month, and every month the website switches to a new domain/server (only to get banned the next month). The said site also has a twitter account which announces the website changes, but access to that account is banned.

      I've noticed plenty of blocked Chinese websites. One in particular I recall is one about visiting/touring the DPRK (from China->DPRK).

      I also noticed their attempts to block adservers. A lot of unsavory sites I visit (porn, warez, etc.) have blocked ads brought to me by KCSC.

    7. Re:no points by fysician · · Score: 1

      That's basically what they mean by reunification. Would you have Saddam Hussein continue to govern Iraq after US invasion? Same logic.

    8. Re:no points by hedwards · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Except that this isn't like Germany or even Iraq, in both those cases there was still a considerable amount of shared culture. Even if the East Germans had become so accustomed to getting the same reward for busting their asses as for sitting on their asses, there was still a considerable amount of shared culture and language to reunite to.

      Unfortunately in this case, there's been very, very little mixing of the nations people in the last 50 or so years, whereas with the Germanies there was at least minimal mixing over a nearly 30 year period of time that the Berlin Wall stood. Most likely the best we could hope for in the near term would be fore Kim Jong Il and his cronies to be ousted or otherwise leave power and for a period of time where there was at least some modest mixing of the people. As it stands now there's more in common, by far, between the Americans and Canadians, or the various groups withing China and India than there is between the Koreas.

    9. Re:no points by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Points taken, but the two Koreans are also much more alike than the Germans or Iraqis in other regards. Ever since the Silla dynasty unified Korea in 676, the Korean peninsula (or at least a big portion of it) was under a common ruler until 1945. There are no isolated minority culture, no minority languages, no nothing. It's just a big swath of Koreans from the Yalu River to the island of Jeju.

      Contrast that with the Germans, who managed to found a unified nation only in the 19th century.

      50 years of brutal oppression cannot take everything away. We still speak the same language, eat the same food, and observe the same holidays (at least some of them). The notion of shared cultural heritage runs strong in Korea, along with the feeling that it's our "destiny" to be unified again. You may say it's not sensible (there are certainly many people who feel that way), but you cannot deny that the feeling is there.

    10. Re:no points by wiredlogic · · Score: 1

      North Korea will eventually collapse. It's too big to keep itself afloat like Cuba has managed to do. They also don't have nearly as many affluent friends as Cuba does. The SK push toward unification is an effort to keep tensions low in the face of the mass brainwashing the NK regime uses on its people. It will inevitably fall upon the South Koreans to do most of the heavy lifting in taking care of the people when the collapse happens, which is why they are taking steps now to plan for that eventuality.

      --
      I am becoming gerund, destroyer of verbs.
    11. Re:no points by fysician · · Score: 1

      It has nothing to do with Culture. SKorea is not going to destroy the culture of NKorea. What's at stake is whether democracy will stay in Korea or Fascist totalitarianism. Culture has nothing to do with it.

    12. Re:no points by fysician · · Score: 1

      According to the defectors from NKorea, NKoreans are not brainwashed like as we believe they would be. They know too well what it's like to live outside NKorea.

    13. Re:no points by Frosty+Piss · · Score: 1

      I don't see how it could happen other than if South Korea invades North Korea or the North Korean government collapses. Is that what South Korea is really talking about when saying they want to "unite"?

      Yes.

      The South will wait patiently until the current regime dies. At that point there is indeed MUCH potential for an absorption of the North by the South. You have to understand that *MOST* North Koreans *WANT* to move to the South, become a part of the outside world.

      --
      If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
    14. Re:no points by Lieutenant_Dan · · Score: 1

      Apples and oranges, wrt to Germany and Korea. In Korea, two disparate ideologies created a civil war that split the country apart (regardless of the USSR/China and NATO powers mingling). With Germany you had the country split in two by the four occupying powers. The ideology subjected to the East Germans (and well, the West Germans too from the Americans let's be honest) came from an external power; the Soviets.
      The German people (especially in the West) wanted to re-unite. I'm not too sure if the North and South Koreans really welcome each other.

      As well, the West and East Germans never were in a state of war similar to what the Koreas have. Yes, there was the cold war (I grew up listening to the air siren tests on a regular basis since I grew up 100km from the West/East border)), but West Germans could visit East Germany, and to some extent the other way around (even though people tended to not want to come back).

      Personally I'm not sure how the two Koreas would unite. It seems to me, they are too far apart.

      --
      Wearing pants should always be optional.
    15. Re:no points by couchslug · · Score: 1

      Korean psychology is interesting.

      Much as North and South differ, they hate each other less than they dislike foreigners, and are extremely proud for no logical reason except a reaction to being Japan's historic doormat.

      What most South Koreans who preach appeasement really want is surrender. There are a considerable number who pretty much grovel before the North, which North Korean leadership exploits brilliantly.

      The North Koreans aren't crazy by a longshot, but convincing others that they are nuts pays off. As long as the outside world maintains Nork leadership, they get to stay comfortably in power. A penis-wave now and then convinces the South they are serious, such as the Blue House raid or plinking a ship now and then.

      --
      "This post is an artistic work of fiction and falsehood. Only a fool would take anything posted here as fact."
    16. Re:no points by Lieutenant_Dan · · Score: 1

      Hate to reply my post; but I want to correct myself. NK and SK were occupied by the Soviets and Allies respectively (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korea#Division_of_Korea). The big difference is that the NK people (backed by the Soviets) attempted to invade SK. So again, the big difference between Korea and Germany was the active state of war between the two separated countries.

      --
      Wearing pants should always be optional.
    17. Re:no points by belmolis · · Score: 1

      True. North Koreans don't get much real news from the outside, but a fair number have at least been to China, or have contact with people who have been to China. Quite a few North Korean school teachers, for example, were trained in China. Of course they don't dare contradict the orthodox view in class, but little things get out to friends and neighbors. Furthermore, some North Koreans get information about the outside world as part of their jobs. Such people are chosen from those considered politically reliable, but even such people let things slip sometimes.

    18. Re:no points by fysician · · Score: 1

      I'm not exactly sure your first point was necessary to convey your opinion. Every nation has its national pride, with America being most proud of all, which manifests well in their belief that they can dictate what other nations do within their sovereignty. You seem to consider two Koreas as just products of the fabric of good and evil, which to Americans, translate to capitalism and communism. Although it is difficult to predict what would have happened if allies with then Soviet Union did not intervene altogether, I'd say there would have been at least a small possibility that Korea wouldn't have been asunder like it is now. So please keep your belittling and hate-speeching to yourself.

    19. Re:no points by korean.ian · · Score: 1, Insightful

      This is where slashdot moderation fails. What we need is a -1 ill-informed. The only thing you got right is that the North Korean leaders aren't crazy.

    20. Re:no points by korean.ian · · Score: 1

      Park Jung Hee did a lot of good for the country during his first years in power, as he actually had goals in mind for the nation. When he started to become more concerned with staying in power because he believed that there were no worthy successors is when things went wrong. 2MB might be the worst democratically elected president however.

    21. Re:no points by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      NK - SK
      Reunification -Reunification
      Get Nuclear Weapons - Get Nuclear Weapons
      Invade Japan -Invade Japan
      Dear Leader - Starcraft

      When you look at it the right way, it's clear you have a point.

    22. Re:no points by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't see how it could happen other than if South Korea invades North Korea or the North Korean government collapses. Is that what South Korea is really talking about when saying they want to "unite"?

      Yes. The N. Korean gov would collapse or be absorbed by the S. Korean government. However, this doesn't mean that McDonalds and Starbucks and Samsung and LG will suddenly start popping up in N. Korean cities. In the same way that New York is very different from Kansas, the inherent culture of each location can remain instead of being forcibly transformed.

      The only real difference will be allowing people to move if they want to, more tourists coming in, and actually being able to have good food and technology for more than just the select few.

      Personally, I wonder exactly how the economy of North Korea will fare if brought into the world as is. There'll be quite a huge problem of their currency being useless, I'd imagine.

    23. Re:no points by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      Contrast that with the Germans, who managed to found a unified nation only in the 19th century.

      Actually, reality is a bit more complicated than that.

      That said, a shared identity/culture doesn't exist in a vacuum. Like e.g. a soundwave, it need a medium, and that medium is people, so all you have to do to break the connection is make sure that everyone who's alive doesn't share the identity/culture anymore and that everyone who does is dead. Arguably, the North Koreans have achieved all this: a few generations of total isolation and brainwashing will do it.

      It's not like there's anything in people's genes that you can appeal to in a bid to reunite Korea. It's possible, but at this point, it'll have to be done the hard way.

    24. Re:no points by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Different people have different ideas on how the unification will take place. Preferably it won't involve another war.

      If North Korean government collapses, do you think China would simply hand over North Korea to South Korea?

      I think the best way to unite would be to unite by becoming a country that has two different states, each state governing itself. By slowly increasing collaboration and slowly removing the differences, we can eventually unite.

  6. north korea is best korea! by circletimessquare · · Score: 4, Funny

    has most facebook friends! has most tweets!

    south korea only has glum relatives and miserly business contacts. north korea has loving adoration and sworn allegiance bonded in blood and exaltation for the perpetual people's struggle and revolutionary apparatus! like it! like it! like it!

    our great shining leader tweets 5,000 times a day with 3 million followers 24 hours a day no time for sleep! the people's struggle provides as sleep! each tweet a pearl of wisdom his grateful followers pore over for eternal wisdom in philosophy, economics, military strategy, acupuncture, home economics, and closet organization! retweet! retweet! retweet!

    the imperial aggressor america and her boot linking sycophant japan will suffer under the boot of the full force of the people's glorious tweeting and facebook friending struggle!

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
    1. Re:north korea is best korea! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Re: "book linking"? What the heck is "book linking"? No, wait, don't tell me. I don't want to know. There might be such a thing in North Korea.

      Since your post shows a charming reverence for e.e. cummings and his neglect of the Shift key, I'm going to assume that this is a satirical post. There can't be that many committed Communists left, and North Korea is one of just 4 Communist countries left in the world. Of those, 3 have abandoned most of the original tenets. They hang on mostly to the "dictatorship of the people" rhetoric and the dictatorship reality.

      go great shining leader! go go gadget!!

    2. Re:north korea is best korea! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm going to assume that this is a satirical post.

      duhhhh.......

    3. Re:north korea is best korea! by CodeBuster · · Score: 1, Troll

      It seems that someone has been drinking those, "cesspool waters of American capitalism" again. Of course what better beverage to have with your "double bread with meat"?

    4. Re:north korea is best korea! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Best post in a while.

  7. Page not found by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yo, their Facebook page was already removed by the time Fark posted the link a few days ago.

  8. So ronery, so very ronery.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Sure, how they feel bad about murdering Hans Blix.

    1. Re:So ronery, so very ronery.... by rmm311 · · Score: 1

      Those poor underfed sharks.

  9. suggest to friends.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Anybody suggested them page to Justin Bieber :D

  10. I can't wait until the first photo tagging by Culture20 · · Score: 4, Funny

    of North Korea drinking it up with China and Cuba on a Friday night. Or better yet, people will start tagging goatse as NK.

  11. illegal information... by igotmybfg · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ...is a ridiculous concept

    1. Re:illegal information... by MRe_nl · · Score: 1

      Like!

      (runsforrailgun)

      --
      "Kill 'em all and let Root sort 'em out"
    2. Re:illegal information... by nanoakron · · Score: 4, Insightful

      like holocaust denial in Germany?

    3. Re:illegal information... by aBaldrich · · Score: 3, Insightful

      That would be illegal misinformation.

      --
      In soviet russia the government regulates the companies.
    4. Re:illegal information... by CodeBuster · · Score: 1

      ...is a ridiculous concept

      We are talking about North Korea here, the ridiculous is quite routine for them. Indeed, if they even knew enough to know how foolish they appear to the outside world, that would be something, but they don't.

    5. Re:illegal information... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So are subject lines with ... cliffhangers.

    6. Re:illegal information... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      ...is a ridiculous concept

      Wikileaks... USA...

    7. Re:illegal information... by Urza9814 · · Score: 1

      North Korea's twitter, but it's blocked as illegal information in South Korea.

    8. Re:illegal information... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well if /. didn't require people to provide a subject when posting shit like that would be necessary. This isn't email, we all know what we are talking about. The article.

    9. Re:illegal information... by selven · · Score: 2, Insightful

      And before people start yelling about "exceptions to freedom of speech", consider this. It is in fact legal to say "Barack Obama is a pedophile" in public, even though it's defamatory - I just did and there's nothing wrong with it. What's illegal is presenting it as fact. Same with "give me 2000 dollars or I'll shoot you". You can even say "fire" in a crowded theater, you just can't shout it at the top of your lungs. It's all about context and intent. Laws that make certain patterns of information illegal no matter what, however, most definitely are ridiculous and abhorrent.

    10. Re:illegal information... by Platypii · · Score: 0, Troll

      yes

    11. Re:illegal information... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Like libel in the US?

    12. Re:illegal information... by Joebert · · Score: 1

      Oh yeah? Then why does science call everything laws?

      --
      Wanna fight ? Bend over, stick your head up your ass, and fight for air.
    13. Re:illegal information... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It is in fact legal to say "Barack Obama is a pedophile" in public, even though it's defamatory - I just did and there's nothing wrong with it. What's illegal is presenting it as fact. Same with "give me 2000 dollars or I'll shoot you". You can even say "fire" in a crowded theater

      Saying "Give me 2000 dollars or I'll shoot you" is not defamatory. Nor is saying "fire" in a crowded theatre. There's more to the problem of free speech than whether it's defamatory or not. In the "2000 dollars" case, it's against most countries' laws because it's a threat. In the "fire" case, it's because it's reckless endangerment. There are many sound reasons to limit speech.

    14. Re:illegal information... by DirePickle · · Score: 1

      Ve vere invited! Check vith Poland!

    15. Re:illegal information... by Platypii · · Score: 1

      Why was I modded troll??

      In my opinion making an idea illegal is absolutely ridiculous, and holocaust denial is a perfect example of that. Holocaust deniers are idiots, but that doesn't mean they should be legally silenced. They should be simply ignored!

      Personally I find the lack of free speech in germany to be extremely offensive, and cowardly.

  12. Hmm... by trytoguess · · Score: 4, Funny

    Facebook is telling me NK's page no longer exists... thought it's twitter and youtube is still around. Also, what do people make of NK identifying itself as male, and being interested in men?

    1. Re:Hmm... by mahoney.d.82 · · Score: 1

      Uhm... That North Korea is a gay male, maybe?

    2. Re:Hmm... by DarkKnightRadick · · Score: 1

      bad translators

      --
      "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death." Proverbs 16:25 (NKJV)
    3. Re:Hmm... by Suki+I · · Score: 1

      Stop bouncing through that South Korean server and it should work fine.

    4. Re:Hmm... by md65536 · · Score: 1

      Uhm... That North Korea is a gay male, maybe?

      Are they a top? Do they consider South Korea a bottom?

  13. I'd befriend them by siddesu · · Score: 3, Insightful

    But then they'd get access of all my friends and activities.

    With all the kidnapping they've done in Japan, Korea and elsewhere, who knows what is the real purpose of that page.

    I'd say collecting information on potential targets is high on the list.

    / puts on the multi-ply tinfoil hat.

    1. Re:I'd befriend them by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'd say collecting information on potential targets is high on the list.

      Don't be silly. That could be more easily achieved by doing it undercover (e.g. make accounts pretending to be a North Korean girl who's against The Great Leader).

    2. Re:I'd befriend them by religious+freak · · Score: 1

      I don't know about that. This is a fan page... do you get access to that kind of info on people who 'like' your page? I always assumed not, though I admit I've never actually researched it.

      FB user name is 'uriminzokkiri' for those who don't want to RFTA, btw

      --
      If you can read this... 01110101 01110010 00100000 01100001 00100000 01100111 01100101 01100101 01101011
    3. Re:I'd befriend them by siddesu · · Score: 1

      Not really. Remember, a lot of left-wing movements in Western Europe were heavily infiltrated (some sponsored) by the KGB, who (correctly) judged that people who would participate in such a movement would already be interested in or supportive of the regime; so they used those as pools of potential agents.

      On the other hand, what would you do with a guy who went in after a random girl's picture on a website? To me it only shows a lot of plain stupidity and high hormone level, neither a particularly valuable characteristic.

    4. Re:I'd befriend them by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      sockpuppet account, my friend.
      just enough to tag loads of pictures with "north korea"
      you know you want to.

  14. I wonder what happens if you poke them? by stevegee58 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    It could produce drama.

    1. Re:I wonder what happens if you poke them? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      North Korea's FB page states it's a male and likes men. And you'd "poke" him?

    2. Re:I wonder what happens if you poke them? by Suki+I · · Score: 1

      I sense a torpedo joke is about to come through the door.

    3. Re:I wonder what happens if you poke them? by mahoney.d.82 · · Score: 1

      I'm not sure I'd call it a door. Hell, I'm not even sure I'd call THAT a torpedo...

    4. Re:I wonder what happens if you poke them? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "You call that a torpedo?" Punchline phrasing is as important as timing.

  15. What happens... by ghettoboy22 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    When you un-friend Kim Jong-Il?

    1. Re:What happens... by Rude+Turnip · · Score: 2, Funny

      Well, you@!#$%^[NO CARRIER]

    2. Re:What happens... by boxwood · · Score: 1, Redundant

      you make him feel ronery, so very ronery

    3. Re:What happens... by Joebert · · Score: 1

      Facebook used to have a dislike button until someone tried to dislike a Kim Jong II wall post a few years from now and Kim had to go back in time and remove the dislike button.

      --
      Wanna fight ? Bend over, stick your head up your ass, and fight for air.
  16. Pfft. Nothing worthy of attention. by fysician · · Score: 1

    Current SKorean government is pretty totalitarian, so it's not unexpected that they will block access to anything from NKorea. As far as freedom to access to information is concerned, these "official" social networking activities from NKorea is nothing more than propaganda laden bs, so I really don't see any problem. It's not like they are trying to spread information regarding true reality of the NKorean citizens. If you wanted information on the reality of NKorea there are many documentaries produced by NGOs obtained through risking torture and hard labor. Look them up on youtube.

  17. Because I can by rdnetto · · Score: 1

    our great shining leader tweets 5,000 times a day

    1 day / 5000 = 17.28 seconds
    [from Google calulator]

    --
    Most human behaviour can be explained in terms of identity.
    1. Re:Because I can by roman_mir · · Score: 1

      Oh boy, what are we going to do with you? Clearly the dear old leader would be sending even more twats than 5000 a day, because he is the best leader and all people love him.

      To answer your question: yes, he would not be sending those twats all by himself, there would be the necessary resources allocated for that work.

    2. Re:Because I can by domatic · · Score: 1

      To answer your question: yes, he would not be sending those twats all by himself, there would be the necessary resources allocated for that work.

      Interesting! How do I get Kim Jong-Il to send me some of that twat?

    3. Re:Because I can by roman_mir · · Score: 1

      become his friend.

  18. So Ronery by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    " It probably won't get too many friends in South Korea, which has already blocked access to the North Korean Twitter account for containing 'illegal information' under its security laws...and says the Facebook page could suffer the same fate."

    It looks like North Korea will continue to be.... so ronery.

  19. The Accounts In Question by pgn674 · · Score: 4, Informative

    uriminzokkiri (uriminzok) on Twitter

    YouTube - uriminzokkiri's Channel

    Facebook | Uriminzokkiri

    Looks like the original Facebook "people" account they made was removed (probably by North Korea when they realized it didn't make sense to have a "people" account), and replaced with a "page" thing. I noticed the original account's username was uriminzokkiri, and the new one is uriminzokkiriLike, so maybe North Korea changed accounts primarily because they want the Like button? Lots of guessing here.

    1. Re:The Accounts In Question by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I...don't know what uriminzokkiri means.

      Seems more Japanese than Korean. And as someone who's fluent in Korean (the south one) and passable in Japanese, that's really all I can say about that.

      And yeah, N. Korean has a strange dialect and quite a few different words compared to S. Korean (Seoul area). Even compared to the half a dozen or so different S. Korean dialects I know of, I have a much more difficult time trying to parse meaning out of N. Korean. Probably due to the fact they spent less time around the west and more time with themselves/China.

    2. Re:The Accounts In Question by Little_Professor · · Score: 1

      The new Facebook page (as listed on the official uriminizokkiri site) is now

      http://www.facebook.com/uriminzok

      presumably because the uriminzokkiriLike rapidly got trolled to hell. The news page is a private profile, you can read the posts made by the author but you can't write anything on his wall.

  20. Re:Hi! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    Parent Anonymous Coward was making a reference to a popular meme which revolved around the 2chan and 4chan communities where angry [South] Koreans were waging electronic warfare (e.g. DDOS attacks, spamming, etc.) because of anti-korean jokes that were popular at the time.

    Unfortunately, this had the opposite of the intended effect and caused a more explosive anti-korean reaction - including the use of hundreds of different custom created images where everyone wanted it to be known that "North Korea is Best Korea". It reached its peak during the anti Bieber explosion of 4chan antics where the board members successfully destroyed the Bieber world-tour campaign's Internet contest to see where he would [definitely] go on his world tour (as well as many other humiliatingly hilarious things also).

    So your horrible attempt at humor was in actuality, massive fail. Plus that originally became popular from Full Metal Jacket.. a movie that took place in Vietnam.. not Korea.

  21. Re:Hi! by fysician · · Score: 1

    Why would Koreans care about what you think of them? If they find something offensive they have every right to retaliate to the authors of that offensive material, provided that they take responsibility for the legal repercussions. You are saying as if if someone makes fun of you you should just let it go so it doesn't become a bigger problem. I'd say that's a cowardice nothing more.

  22. I am curious by WindBourne · · Score: 1

    My brother is married to a S. Korean National. He spent a number of years in SK, doing his duty. After retiring, his wife wanted them to stay in SK so he worked for GD until recently before switching jobs to UK. Now, what I find interesting is, that he spoke about the fact that late teens, prior to being drafted, wanted SK gov. to give in NK's demand and merge with NK. ANd they did not care what the demands from Jong-Il was. However, after they do their duty, he was telling me that the kids change their minds.

    Now, I read your statement, and it sounds like you want to merge with NK, no matter the cost.
    Am I reading that right? WHY would you want to merge with them? The only way that Jong will do that, is if HE is in control. Would YOU want yourself, or your family to live under the same conditions as North Korea does now?

    --
    I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
    1. Re:I am curious by fysician · · Score: 1

      I'm not sure why your brother would think that way. General sentiment shared by most Koreans about reunification is that they don't need it. They have a pretty obscure idea of reunification, but they do not feel strongly that they need it right now. As far as who gets to be in control after reunification, most people agree that the NKorean regime will be thrown out and the communist party will be dissolved. I grew up in Korea and never in my life heard someone saying that Kim Jong Il should govern the reunited Korea except for those looney commies.

    2. Re:I am curious by WindBourne · · Score: 1

      Well, my brother was telling me that there are still protests about America being there and that it interferes with reunification (though he left just before the sub/cruiser incident; I suspect that might change things). In addition, there is zero chance of peaceful reunification happening without Jong being in control. He will insist on it. That is why I do not understand how it is that late teens push for reunification. Yes, I have little doubt that everybody would like reunification to occur. But how anybody can think that SK should go through the steps that Jong wants is beyond me. As it is, Jong is simply playing a chess game and creating a stalling game. He is far more interested in creating his nukes, along with helping other nations such as Burma, Iran, and possibly Venezuela to create theirs.

      --
      I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
    3. Re:I am curious by fysician · · Score: 1

      There are small fractions of people who believe whatever they want to just like in America people believe anything thy want to from anarchism to socialism. They are those who are dissatisfied with the status quo in SKorea or those who professionally organize protests. Nothing to pay attention to.

    4. Re:I am curious by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      you want to merge with NK, no matter the cost. Am I reading that right?

      We can work together to minimise the cost. It does not have to happen in an instant.

      WHY would you want to merge with them?

      Because we are all Koreans. This might be difficult to understand for some people.

      The only way that Jong will do that, is if HE is in control.

      The only way the current South Korean government will do that, is if the current South Korean government is in control. So is the South Korean government any better in that regards?

      Would YOU want yourself, or your family to live under the same conditions as North Korea does now?

      No. I don't want North Koreans living like that either, which is why I want to help them, and uniting would be a good way to help them.

    5. Re:I am curious by WindBourne · · Score: 1

      Uniting the peninsula is fine. HOWEVER, the communist regime of jong is starving and outright murdering its ppl. OTH, SK goverment has a great deal more freedom then does NK. So, yeah, having the SK gov. IS better. And they treat their ppl MUCH better than does NK's gov.

      So, exactly how do YOU propose to get the NK gov. to step aside and allow the merger to occur?

      --
      I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
  23. South Korea also totalitarian? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "Uriminzok has "content that praises, promotes and glorifies" North Korea that was confirmed to be "illegal information" under South Korea's National Security Law, a commission statement said Thursday. The commission said it has no immediate plan to block the North's YouTube channel."

    Are South Korea REALLY this paranoid? I know there seems almost insurmountable animosity between the two countries, but to actually ban free throught over it? Wow.

    1. Re:South Korea also totalitarian? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's common in the Western world (except America) to ban dissemination of information that promotes neo-Nazism or holocaust denial. Totalitarianism in the guise of democracy is the norm.

  24. Twitter account suspended... by damn_registrars · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    A google search for "North Korea" +Twitter gives:http://twitter.com/kcna_dprk which redirects to http://twitter.com/suspended. Apparently Great Leader will need to find another way to share his great wisdom.

    --
    Damn_registrars has no butt-hole. Damn_registrars has no use for a butt-hole.
  25. North Korea Leader, Gay? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Is the North Korean leader gay?

    I'd love to see him dressed up in pink leather suits.

  26. Patrick Kielty is psychic by jiteo · · Score: 2, Interesting
  27. Re:Hi! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's foolish to act without considering how others would react. What good is it to make that stand if it's actually going to negatively impact your cause?

  28. Easy answer by sharkey · · Score: 1

    South Korea just needs to get North Korea to add Kip Drordy as a friend. Problem solved.

    --

    --
    "Outlook not so good." That magic 8-ball knows everything! I'll ask about Exchange Server next.
  29. I can't wait to join their Facebook page by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Who wan't to join their facebook page...I can't just see some of the things will be sharing and commenting on.... We'll see pictures, of his imperial palace and you know the people starving in the country side....Kim posing with the people at the party when they threw som epople off their land and gave it to some regional offical ....Kim at party's where someone got shot for not paying homage to the leader....Kim posing with his good friends from Libya, Cuba....and of course he will be sharing with us how great everything there is and how awesome it is for evryone living their and how we should come and visit or better yet move therr...and of course I am sure he will put up some wacky youtube videos of him and his friends showing how they keep contorol of those that dont obey what he say's and those that don't believe " what we tell you is the truth" ...Oh I am sure it will be full of fun and all sorts of good time...

  30. "Trading" With North Korea - Against US Law? by GumphMaster · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Is trading with the DPRK legal in the United States? If Facebook/Twitter/etc. knowingly continued to provide a service the DPRK regime would they be in violation of US law?

    --
    Patent litigation: A doctrine of Mutually Assured Destruction... in which everyone seems willing to push the button
    1. Re:"Trading" With North Korea - Against US Law? by belmolis · · Score: 2, Informative

      Simply providing a place for communication appears not to fall under the US trade restrictions. There are Iranians living in Iran with FB accounts.

    2. Re:"Trading" With North Korea - Against US Law? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Is trading with the DPRK legal in the United States? If Facebook/Twitter/etc. knowingly continued to provide a service the DPRK regime would they be in violation of US law?

      I think as long as you don't water Kim Jong-Il's crops in Farmville you should be okay.

    3. Re:"Trading" With North Korea - Against US Law? by ndg123 · · Score: 1

      Where's the trade happening ? the business is between Facebook and the data consumers, not the hapless dupes who post all the personal information up there.

      And in any case, do you think that the US gov would stop the opportunity to get any information which NK projects to the world, or to capture (and control) public reaction to NK's actions?

    4. Re:"Trading" With North Korea - Against US Law? by xtracto · · Score: 1

      Where's the trade happening ? the business is between Facebook and the data consumers, not the hapless dupes who post all the personal information up there.

      Trade is happening in the same way as the PirateBay and other pirate sites provide illegal media "for profit". That is, Facebook is providing a service to North Korea and they are in return making profit from the advertisements.

       

      --
      Ubuntu is an African word meaning 'I can't configure Debian'
    5. Re:"Trading" With North Korea - Against US Law? by ndg123 · · Score: 1

      What, from all those NK consumers responding to the flashing click-me-to-order-now adverts ?

    6. Re:"Trading" With North Korea - Against US Law? by tokul · · Score: 1

      Trade is happening in the same way as the PirateBay and other pirate sites provide illegal media "for profit". That is, Facebook is providing a service to North Korea and they are in return making profit from the advertisements.

      Your personal website was visited from IP address that belongs to North Korean government. Probably by Kim himself. Expect to be jailed in next 2 months for violation of U.S. trade laws.

    7. Re:"Trading" With North Korea - Against US Law? by xtracto · · Score: 1

      You *do* now that nowadays advertisements are payed on a *per view* basis and not on a *per click* basis, DONT YOU??

      --
      Ubuntu is an African word meaning 'I can't configure Debian'
    8. Re:"Trading" With North Korea - Against US Law? by xtracto · · Score: 1

      Yup, I was being a bit sarcastic showing the absurdity of the MAFIAA. if the MAFIAA can apply such logic it then surely everyone else can no?

      --
      Ubuntu is an African word meaning 'I can't configure Debian'
    9. Re:"Trading" With North Korea - Against US Law? by tokul · · Score: 1

      Yup, I was being a bit sarcastic showing the absurdity of the MAFIAA. if the MAFIAA can apply such logic it then surely everyone else can no?

      If Facebook does not accept payments from Kim, Fidel or Mahmoud, they are safe. They don't have any trade relations with those countries in accounting. Facebook does not sell weapons or luxury goods and does not provide financial services. Can't find full list of NK trade restrictions in wikipedia, but I suspect that facebook services are not on that list.

  31. Re:Hi! by fysician · · Score: 1

    Being politically savvy is one thing and standing up for yourself is another. Eventually what really matters is whether you stood up for yourself not whether you were able to please everyone while you are at it. If you try to please everyone as you stand up for yourself, you'd better not do it at all to begin with. How do you stand up against senseless meme? How do you defend yourself from foreign invasion? By going on a war.

  32. The answer is obvious by DesScorp · · Score: 2, Funny

    Also, what do people make of NK identifying itself as male, and being interested in men?

    Kim is really, really ronery.

    --
    Life is hard, and the world is cruel
  33. Communists using a product of rotten capitalism by alexmin · · Score: 1

    I'm shocked, shocked. What happen to Chouchkhe movement? Weren't they supposed to use only pure communistic version of everything, including "interweb"?

  34. Blocking one page? by Skapare · · Score: 1

    I'm curious how they are able to block one single page. Does SK have a "great firewall", too?

    --
    now we need to go OSS in diesel cars
    1. Re:Blocking one page? by bjourne · · Score: 1

      I'm curious about that aspect too... Blocking only specific web pages would require very sophisticated deep packet inspection much more advanced than China's firewall for example. The filter would have to replace responses to only certain paths on a domain with 404 html pages or 302 redirects to other pages that explain why the original page can not be viewed. It would be wholly impractical to block a whole nation the size of South Korea in this way.

    2. Re:Blocking one page? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Or, you know, a simple rule in the firewall to inspect a package going to a specific IP (fb's) and checking if it's requesting the page you don't want to be accessed. Of course, application layer inspection sucks ass but what can you do?

    3. Re:Blocking one page? by bjourne · · Score: 1

      Wouldn't packet segmentation mean that the firewall has to reconstruct the whole tcp stream to know which http pages are being accessed? Plus, facebook has hundreds of IP's each users profile page can be accessed under at least a handful of different paths: /userprofile /profile.php?uid=123 and so on. Maybe not impossible, but it seem unrealistic to me. I'm not an expert at all though.

    4. Re:Blocking one page? by Skapare · · Score: 1

      I think his point is that by only applying the deep inspection on traffic to/from a specific IP address, by means of techniques like source routing (Cisco routers can do this ... BTDT), the deep packet inspection isn't so much of an added cost. OTOH, sites like facebook.com and still need a lot of deep inspection threads and capacity. Still, it would not impact other traffic so much.

      --
      now we need to go OSS in diesel cars
  35. this is an outrage by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    First the damn Chicoms, now the damn SKoreans erecting great firewalls...
    Oh I'm sorry, I forgot the SKoreans are on our side, please disregard.

  36. North Korea by palmerj3 · · Score: 1

    * Pokes North Korea *

  37. Re:Hi! by coerciblegerm · · Score: 1

    Thanks, Encyclopedia Dramatica... I mean Anonymous Coward.

  38. North Korea is gay? by Georules · · Score: 1, Redundant

    "The Facebook account, which describes itself as male, says it is interested in men and is looking for networking." It explains everything!

  39. As southpark predicted... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So rownry :)

  40. Re:Hi! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Hello, I am the grandparent AC above. Massive fail? Oh well, you win some, you lose some.

    I thought I should correct the record since you have made some incorrect assumptions in your post.

    I took the line "Me love you long time!" directly from Full Metal Jacket. I don't visit 2chan or 4chan and I had no idea it's a popular meme with them, but I know it's widely used on the internet so people will recognise the phrase even if they don't know where it came from.

    So, to deconstruct the joke:

    "My name Kim" (i.e. Kim Jong-Il)

    "You be friend, yes?" (referring to North Korea's desire to have friends on Facebook)

    "Me love you long time!" (Vietnamese whore from FMJ).

    In other words, Kim Jong-Il is whoring himself out online to get friends.

    As for FMJ being set in Vietnam, not Korea, if I had wanted absolute cultural correspondence I could have used a quote from M*A*S*H where Hawkeye and B.J. are visiting Seoul and some lady of the night offers her services to the boys. It would have been an obscure quote though, and nowhere near as pithy.

  41. Unification by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    When they say unification, they mean through peaceful political means. Of course, anything that even resembles unification is a long shot at best.

    More likely, North Korea will collapse on its own and China will rush in from the north before the US can take it from the south.

  42. Page not found by torsmo · · Score: 1

    Uhmm.....The page appears to have been taken down??

  43. MOD PARENT UP by religious+freak · · Score: 1

    +1 - **Fantastic** documentary if you're interested in N. Korea.

    It's a whole 'nother world and these guys were crazy enough to go all the way in. What makes them even crazier is that they're American.

    --
    If you can read this... 01110101 01110010 00100000 01100001 00100000 01100111 01100101 01100101 01101011
    1. Re:MOD PARENT UP by Creepy · · Score: 1

      Reminded me of the description of travel some (American) friends of mine told after visiting the Soviet Union during the Cold War (they were architecture students). Everything they did was escorted, and the empty banquet halls was dead on, but supposedly the food was better. Rooms were always bugged, and apparently some of the bugs were very obvious.

  44. Link to Facebook Page by lee317 · · Score: 1
  45. Lactose Free Milk? by lee317 · · Score: 1

    Apparently Lactose Free Milk can be called an interest!

  46. Re:Hi! by Securityemo · · Score: 3, Informative

    Defending yourself against senseless memetic attacks (or just trolling) online generally is very hard. The best tactic I've found is a form of social judo, where you misdirect the attackers attention/distort the meme to something that isn't relevant to you, or makes them identify with you and anulling the dehumanizing effect of the internet - either be as unreal or real as possible. The most direct example would be a pre-prepared sockpuppet personality/mask with false weaknesses, but that obviously isn't applicable here. If you where a group of nationalists trying to stem a meme/raid like that, you'd basically either need to make the flow point at something(s) about your national character that isn't important, or make the attackers (honestly) identify and sympathise with aspects of your culture. Since we are talking about young males who like to think they are clever here, acts of war and political guile spiced up with true accounts of misery would probably do; if you can't hide your weaknesses you must bluntly admit to them. Think "getting respect from boys with daddy issues". "Attacking in force" is only doable if you can do something (harsh) to them IRL that would make them snap out of it .
    All such machinations must be done indirectly, like it was all a big joke that you just made funnier or more clever, or it's a "forced meme." Also, truly horrible memes and information (like jokes about children and napalm) are repeated not because it's funny but because it's horrible, as a way to draw attention to them; the laughter is that of hysteria. This, and the fact that the hysteria often is completely juvenile and immature is probably the sole source for people mistaking behaviour like this for some sort of utter evil, when in reality it's just schoolyard shit-talking sped up 10x. Now, people like this are often mixed up with people who actually have a coherent point about the issues - but they are easily recognized, not being, as you so well describe it, senseless.

    --
    Emotions! In your brain!
  47. Great News for me by Zoxed · · Score: 1

    This is great news for me: it means I will not have the lowest Friends count on Facebook :-)

  48. One thing you need to consider though by Sycraft-fu · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Is that South Korea is not the US, and doesn't have the same free speech laws. Not everyone subscribes to the same idea of freedom as the US. Some places have freedoms the US doesn't, some lack freedoms the US has.

    Free countries don't mean unlimited freedom, and not all free countries are of the same mind on what freedoms people should have.

  49. Blocking Access by RAMMS+EIN · · Score: 1

    I think it's a pity that South Korea decided to block access to these North Korean outlets. Even if North Korea doesn't give its citizens the same benefits, I would imagine it helps to know what people on the other side are saying and are being told. More knowledge and understanding is a Good Thing, particularly when it comes to avoiding and resolving conflicts.

    --
    Please correct me if I got my facts wrong.
  50. What about Saddam? by IhateMonkeys · · Score: 0

    If Saddam was still around i think he would be North Korea's only friend.
    Ok, well maybe him and Satan.

  51. Internal wars by zogger · · Score: 1

    Happened in the US with our civil war. Took a long time for it to get back to "normality" and I guess I would say it never has really. Now I didn't realize that so much until I was an adult and moved to the south. Growing up in the north we had a certain cultural mindset, but after moving here it hit me how much differences remain, and how much the south is still discriminated against in general terms.

    And the weirdest thing to me is, because this was mainly about race issues..the north is more racist, just they don't admit it or acknowledge it. The most racist place I have lived is in Boston, followed by Detroit, way more racist than around here where I live now, rural bubba land Georgia.

  52. reunification won't happen until by circletimessquare · · Score: 0

    usa/japan experiences a significant decrease in power, or china experiences a significant decrease in power

    countries like korea (well, north and south korea) suffer because they are being crushed between two powers. many other countries have seen enormous amounts of suffering due to being wedged between powerhouse empires. study the history of poland. the power struggle moved west of poland as the soviet union grew in power: result germany became the locus of struggle, and was divided. and then, when the soviet union collapsed, the center of power struggle moved east. result: germany was able to reunite, and now places like ukraine and georgia suffer for being the locus of power struggle between russia and the west: gerogia is being fractionated by russian military into tiny countries as it vies to define its sphere of influence outward

    wherever empires meet, the buffer lands become a battlefield, and get fractionated by the aspirations for influence by either empires. its like beign crushed between giant boulders. in the case of korea, china will never let north korea collapse and become part of a seoul dominated single country, because now outside influences rub right up against their border. likewise, the usa and japan will never let south korea fall and be under the influence of a pyongyang dominated single country, for the same reasons, in reverse

    the sad truth is that korea will be divided, exactly as long as china and usa/japan are at odds with each other as power centers in the world. if koreans want to be reunited as a single country, something i think they deserve, then koreans should pray or work hard to dramatically decrease the power of either china or usa/japan. then reunification will be natural and automatic

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
  53. The law is unfair by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You can't shout "fire" in a crowded movie house, but you can shout "movie" in a crowded fire house.

    That doesn't seem fair to me.

  54. Great Firewall of S. Korea? by quatin · · Score: 1

    South Korea, which has already blocked access to the North Korean Twitter account for containing 'illegal information' under its security laws...and says the Facebook page could suffer the same fate."

    Illegal information? What pray, may I ask is "illegal information"?

    It's a rhetorical question Farley!!

    S. Korea, meet the kettle. If you're going off about N. Korea censoring their media, you need stop pulling the same type of crap they do.

  55. NK Tourism Video by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They just need to Dance Across The Floor!