Unification Ministry to Start Program to Counter “Fake News” About North Korea
As always when it comes to fake news, what is important is who is the one defining what North Korea related fake news is?:
South Korea’s Ministry of Unification (MOU) has set aside funding to start systematically monitoring “fake news” related to North Korea next year, though it is unclear whether the government plans to levy penalties for reports deemed false.
The ministry has earmarked $170,000 (200 million won) for the project to counter fake news in its budget for the fiscal year 2022. Announced on Friday, the budget’s total amount reaches $1.27 billion (1.5 trillion won), a 1.86% increase from 2021.
“There are frequent occasions when misinformation or manipulated information related to North Korea gets spread mainly through new media,” unification ministry spokesperson Lee Jong-joo said in a regular briefing on Monday, referring primarily to online platforms.
“Hence, the purpose [of this project],” she said, “comes from the need for more systematic monitoring, considering how such incidents cause various bad influences such as distorting the environment for pursuing policies.”
NK News
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