North Korea on Social Media... or Not

Last year (2010) we have seen announcements about the Country of North Korea establishing a footprint on various social media channels.

A few months ago, the North Korean government tells the media, no they are not on social media. The Washington Post even tweeted this, giving wiggle room to their own reporting on the issue.

This is not some simple question to be debated over coffee or through social media. There are serious, real world implications to not knowing the answer to this question.

In the summer of 2009, many westerners got caught re-tweeting and resending material put out by the Iranian government disguised as content created by the protesters in the streets of Iran.

My main point here is this: Obviously the social media tools exist. Obviously every leader worth their salt is looking at how to use/abuse/overwhelm through social media.

Our defense against a militaristic and paranoid regime that wants to use these tools is to be aware. Then we can monitor, track, disavow and disprove North Korea's bullshit. If we do not take the steps to verify if these accounts are real, then the media and governments around the world are just asking for a repeat of last year's issues with Iran and Twitter.

Some updates since this post was originally written in August, 2010 at a time when there were not active hot tensions between the two Koreas.

South Korea using social Media to track North Korea. According to the U.S.. Army.

North Korea has a home page now.

The news from the Peninsula is erupting almost every hour.

So now I go back to my original point. The one I made in August - We can now presume that the country is indeed using social media. It is up to the major search engines, social networks and video platforms to be clear what people are seeing. The accounts controlled by a communist propaganda machine need to be clearly identified, once and for all.

Social media is powerful. Iran, Tunisia, Egypt have all experienced major social upheavals.

Additional information about North Korea ISPs:

South Korea internet censors finally catch on to new KCNA domain/IP http://175.45.176.58 + http://www.kcna.kp & now blocked

Related news from Egypt

Related news from Tunisia

 

Follow Alan W. Silberberg on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Ideagov

Comments

[JNarragansett]

03:43 PM on 08/24/2010

The only things I believe from North Korea are those which are independently verified. Though, I struggle to see what specific type of danger North Korea being on twitter really poses to the rest of the world. I'm remembering the Olympics in China and the concerted effort made to get onto comment boards and direct the conversation at a number of blogs. Every time a few accounts would write ridiculous comments about how the only reason Tibet wants independence is so that the Dali Lama could turn all of his subjects into slaves. It was laughably pathetic, and considering the sorts of things that the North Koreans think we will believe (Lil Kim bowled a 300 his first time, or that his first golf outing he shot a 38 under par with 5 holes in one on a 7,700 yard course), can you describe a way in which their propaganda could be effective outside of the country?

The lack of technology or prosperity in the country indicate that twitter wouldn't really be a powerful domestic tool for propaganda.

[LMPE]

02:10 PM on 08/24/2010

It always seems as if every innovation risks creating a Frankenstein's monster.

[Alan W. Silberberg]

02:36 PM on 08/24/2010

That is a very good point. But with any technology, people create and people control it. It is up to us to make sure Dr. Frankenstein (North Korea) does not get very far.

[Alan W. Silberberg]

01:10 PM on 08/24/2010

Thanks. I am trying to show that when it comes to North Korea - their MO is to lie. Sometimes to lie twice, then again to confuse. Your analysis is right on. There are too many loose questions about this, and the media is covering it like it is some sort of joke. The DPRK is involved in consistent and constant cyber war efforts. To me, this looks like yet one more thrust of this.

[planetrussell]

12:54 PM on 08/24/2010

Alan, thanks for this post. Of the several I've analyzed, yours is the first on this topic to seriously address the ambiguity of the source(s) of these accounts, purporting to represent the North Korean government and its propaganda organs.

First, the fact that someone identified as a spokesperson for the DPRK government, (and an ostensibly non-Korean one, at that; i.e., Mr. Alejandro Cao de Benos) has disowned of these accounts doesn’t mean that they’re still not behind them.

Second, unless I’ve overlooked it, there’s been no reference made in any of these discussions elsewhere to the Twitter @DPRK_News account, only to the third-party @uriminzok and (now-debunked and suspended) @KCNA_DPRK ones.

So, is @DPRK_News authentic? It claims to be, even though it suspiciously hasn’t been updated since 2009, nor does it bear the blue Twitter “verified” badge. That said, there’s little to suggest that it’s a parody, either… at least not an intentional one. From the breathless, old-school Marxist denunciations:

“UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon blasted as US stooge!" …to the hyperbole about Mr. Kim himself:

“Dear Leader Kim Jong-Il tours Pyongyang Zoo, saves lives of children attacked by escaped bear.”

…the whole thing has a tone of eerily un-ironic, self-serious authenticity about it.

As you note, the social media (and analytics) tools are there. There's no excuse for not authenticating/verifying the sources of valuable open source intelligence on the Kim regime.