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Rupert Murdoch Publishes North Korean Flash Games
eldavojohn writes "You might recall back in June when it was noted that North Korea was developing and exporting flash games. Now, the isolated nation state is apparently home to some game developers that are being published by a subsidiary of News Corp. (The games include Big Lebowski Bowling and Men In Black). Nosotek Joint Venture Company is treading on thin ice in the eyes of a few academics and specialists that claim the Fox News owner is 'working against US policy.' Concerns grow over the potential influx of cash, creating better programmers that are then leveraged into cyberwarfare capabilities. Nosotek said that 'training them to do games can't bring any harm.' The company asserts its innocence, though details on how much of the games were developed in North Korea are sparse. While one of the poorest nations in the world could clearly use the money, it remains to be seen if hardliner opponents like the United States will treat Nosotek (and parent company News Corp.) as if they're fostering the development of computer programmers inside the DPRK. The United Nations only stipulates that cash exchanged with companies in the DPRK cannot go to companies and businesses associated with military weaponry or the arms trade. Would you feel differently about Big Lebowski Bowling if you knew it was created in North Korea?"
As is always the case with Rupert Murdoch, why be content just riling up people on one side of a conflict when you can just as easily be profiting from both side? He does this time and time again, yet people always seem surprised when he does it.
Would you feel differently about Big Lebowski Bowling if you knew it was created in North Korea?"
How would you feel about Pocqhontas and the Lion King? In some fields, North Korea has surprising expertise.
Good luck in North Korea. Remember that you will be allowed to see will be strictly limited, and the North Korean government is well known to go to unusual lengths to present a good image outwards.
xkcd is not in the sudoers file. This incident will be reported.
Is it currently illegal for a US company to trade with North Korea?
Irrelevant. News Corp is not a US company; it is incorporated in Australia.
Is it illegal for a multi-national which does business in the US to do so?
AIUI, such a company only submits to US jurisdiction for business activities that occur within the US, so I would guess not.
And I take offence at the tone of the submission. Trying to make me feel guilty by association is almost entirely racism.
Racism? Really?
Probably a quarter of the electronics in my house are Korean. My washing machine is, the optical drives in my computers are, the stereo amp is... the list goes on. I don't think twice about buying Korean goods.
South Korean goods. Never North.
Is that racist? Against whom, exactly? 'North Korean' isn't a race, it's a political demarcation. I'm not aware of any major genetic differences between the two Koreas having developed since the armistice, and last time I checked, a fundamental belief in genetic inferiority was the very definition of racism.
I won't buy this game, period. I wouldn't hesitate to buy a Hyundai if it looked like the best car for me.
Precisely whom am I being racist against?