By Lee Tae-hoon
Washington and Seoul appear to be poles apart regarding the freedom of expression and access to information in response to a North Korean micro-blogging site, which opened last Thursday under the name “uriminzok,” or “our people.”
The United States has acknowledged the reclusive regime’s opening of the official Twitter account, but urged the North to allow its citizens to also enjoy the global social networking site.
In contrast, the South Korean government warned of possible punishment if its citizens access Pyongyang’s Twitter site, saying it is seeking ways to block the content.
U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said Tuesday, technology once introduced cannot be shut down, citing the Iranian government’s unsuccessful attempts to stop its people from sharing opinions on Twitter during its disrupted presidential election last year.
The Iranian authorities not only filtered Twitter anti-government content, but also disrupted Internet connections and mobile services to prevent dissidents from utilizing it. Though many were intimidated and arrested, it did not stop Iranians from participation in the “Twitter Revolution.”
On the contrary, Seoul expressed deep concern over the growing popularity of Pyongyang’s Twitter site, which has links to anti-South Korea and anti-U.S. statements on its official website www.uriminzokkiri.com.
The number of its followers surpassed 5,600 Wednesday afternoon, up 10 times from 560 as of 1 p.m. Monday.
“Twitter users should be aware that interacting with a North Korean site may violate the Inter-Korea Exchange and Cooperation Act,” Lee Jong-joo, a spokeswoman for the Unification Ministry, said Wednesday.
Under the law, those contacting North Koreans without first notifying the unification minister can be fined up to 3 million won ($2,500).
What’s more, the National Security Law stipulates that any person who corresponds or communicates with an anti-government group is subject to a maximum jail term of 10 years, if they were aware that their actions could threaten national security.
Earlier, Lee told The Korea Times that www.uriminzokkiri.com, which is allegedly run by the North’s propaganda agency, the Peaceful Reunification of Fatherland, is promoting the Twitter site.
Seoul has banned 65 websites considered sympathetic to Pyongyang since 2004 by blocking IP addresses, but the matter seems much more complicated when dealing with Twitter, according to an official of the Korea Communications Commission.
“It appears that it will need to have long negotiations with Twitter and YouTube on technical matters and legal terms on blocking South Koreans from accessing certain sites created by North Koreans,” the official said.
The state-run commission has authorities to prevent people in the South from accessing North Korean websites and is now working with the ministry on how to cope with the catch-22 situation.
In July, Pyongyang created its own channel on YouTube, uploading video footage that praises its leader Kim Jong-il and defends itself against allegations over the sinking of the Cheonan warship in March.
Paik Hak-soon, director of inter-Korean relations studies at the Sejong Institute, said the government’s intervention will likely trigger a backlash from the public and make scholars like himself more difficult to study the communist North.
조국평화통일위원회(조평통)가 운영하는 것으로 알려진 웹사이트 ‘우리민족끼리’가 지난 12일부터 ‘uriminzok’(우리민족)이라는 닉네임으로 트위터 계정을 개설한 데 대한 미국과 우리 정부의 반응이 엇갈렸다.
미국은 북한의 트위터 사용을 환영하고 나선 반면, 통일부는 접촉자 처벌 가능성 검토와 함께 대응책을 강구하고 나섰다.
17일 미국 국무성 대변인은 작년 이란이 대선에서 트위터를 통한 사람들의 교류를 막지 못한 것처럼, 온라인에서의 교류를 막는 것은 쉽지 않다고 밝혔다. 이란정부는 작년 트위터에서의 반정부성향의 콘텐츠를 검열하고, 접속을 차단하고, 위반자들을 구속했지만 이 같은 “트위터 혁명”의 확산을 막지는 못했다.
북한 트위터 계정이라고 추정되는 사이트에는 ‘무모한 군사적 행동에는 대가가 따를 것이다’는 등의 글이 올라있다. 이 트위터를 팔로우 하는 팔로어들은 약 5천 600여명에 이른다.
통일부 이종주 대변인은 18일 “현재 트위터에 접촉승인 없이 댓글을 달거나 북측이 올린 글을 전파할 경우 남북교류협력법에 저촉된다”고 밝혔다. 법적으론, 통일부장관의 승인 없이 북측과 교류를 할 때 최대 3백만원의 벌금이 부과되며 국가안보에 위협이 될 수 있는 반정부 단체와 교류할 시 최대 10년의 징역형에 처해 질 수 있다.
방통위는 2004년 이후 현재 약 65개의 웹사이트가 국가안보를 위해 접속이 차단되어 있지만, 트위터 문제는 다루기가 조금 더 복잡할 것으로 예상된다고 밝혔다.