YouTube, the world's largest video-sharing Web site, said Thursday it has decided not to require South Korean users to use their real names when they register, Yonhap News Agency reported.
The move marks a rejection of a South Korean government policy that requires private information for online users. South Korea is the only country in the world where Internet users are required to input their name and resident registration number before subscribing to portals and other Internet services.
The Web site's decision will allow users to view YouTube content but without being able to post videos or comments.
However, watchers point out that South Korean users will likely be able to post videos on the site without difficulty if they set their country preference to countries other than South Korea.
YouTube launched a Korean-language version of its service in January 2008 and has since seen rapid growth in traffic to the site.
Starting from April 1, South Korea's real name registration system applies to Web sites that attract more than 100,000 daily visitors, including YouTube.
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