r/korea•
wildlife

Posting North Korea-related pictures, stories, things, to my blog while living in Seoul... Bad idea, or doesn't matter?

I asked a similar question a while back about reading about North Korea on the web, and people seemed to think it was no problem, and all the sites I suggested seemed to work.

But now, how about posting this sort of thing myself, will this be a problem/frowned upon? I never post pro-NK stuff sympathetically, but should I be extra careful about pro-NK stuff, even if I'm not for it?

Posted Jan 11, 2012, 5:09 PM UTC

211
Fix-my-grammar-plz•

A few days ago, a man was arrested for retweeting tweets from 우리민족끼리, a North Korean organization. If you never sarcastically praise North Korea, and never criticize Samsung, you'll be safe and not get deported. But then the arrested man did not care to hide his real identity with his twitter account. If you stay anonymous, I don't think you'll get in trouble.

3
Not_Ayn_RandDaejeon local•

Isn't 우리민족끼리 blocked in SK?

1
Bodoblock•

You'll be fine. Just be careful how you word things/post things. The Lee Administration has been really doubling down on alleged violations of the National Security Law.

2
[deleted]•

[deleted]

2
wildlifeOP•

Hmm, that makes me scared to even log into my tumblr, where I follow a few pro-NK and pro-communism blogs. Anyone else have a second opinion about going anywhere near my tumblr account?

2
Bodoblock•

You really don't have to worry. Again, most National Security Law offenses today deal with people entering North Korea without permission or if they're spies. Though I'd be careful, talking about North Korea certainly isn't penalized.

2
[deleted]•

[deleted]

1
DrunkenTigerJK•

Man, Americans really love the subject of North Korea don't they?

1
wildlifeOP•

I think a more accurate thing to say is that some Americans are interested in North Korea. I don't know anyone else personally who is as interested in the country as I am though, so I guess it's not a majority.

1
DrunkenTigerJK•

you should scour reddit, from askreddit to the world news, to someone making a North Korean subreddit, to IAMA about a North Korean or anyone related to North Korea. Every since the death of that Bastard, and even before that Americans and Westerners just want to know more and more about that place. Personally, the more I learn about that place the more I grow sadder and depressed that so many are suffering there. And to honest to god, I wish Reddit would just stop caring, and stop making light of it as if it is something to joke about. Every time I see a comment"North Korea is the best Korea" I want to smack that person in the head.

Also every few months or so on r/Korea there is some one asking about North Korea as if anyone of us really care or even know a single thing about North Korea. The truth is South Koreans do not associate with North Korea. You know that bad taste in your mouth that won't go away? That is what it is like for most South Koreans.

1
wildlifeOP•

I really don't understand your position. You don't think people should read about or be interested in North Korea, or just that they don't insert humor into the discussion? I think that humor is appropriate sometimes and others not. Iranians even have a Daily Show-esque program (on the internet) to make fun of the political situation in their country, even though it's a very serious matter where suffering is rife and evil is a given. Then again, I can't relate to how South Koreans feel, which is why I'm going there, to better understand things like this.

That said, I'm not some kid posting NK memes; I am genuinely interested in policy or development on the Korean peninsula and in Southeast Asia like Burma, Cambodia, and Laos. I'm not asking really if you all care, but I figured South Koreans would know the policies relating to the National Security law and how they're enforced, and I'm afraid to ask the embassy questions like this unless I could anonymously. I honestly just don't know yet how sensitive the subject is.

1
DrunkenTigerJK•

If i offended you in anyway I am sorry, really truly sorry. No way in hell i will discourage learning. That is not what I was saying though. Go ahead and be interested in it. Just stop bringing it up here. Most likely you are not going to get anything good because most people here are Korean Americans and Americans/expats in Korea. What reddit loves to do the most and is adept at, is beating a dead horse. Just sick of the north Korean topic is all.

Just in General, not you, in GENERAL, I wish Americans and Westerners would cool it off about North Korea to South Koreans, or any koreans. We hear it alot, and it isn't something many Koreans like talking about and it isn't something South Koreans are ALWAYS up in arms about, most could care less about Bucan, but many Americans seems to think we do. If you really want to approach the topic in a smart fashion, learn Korean fluently and talk to some of the halmone and halapajee, grandpas and grandmas. They know, and they can be some of the sweetest people and open, IF and ONLY IF YOU KNOW KOREAN. Or at least get someone you know who knows someone closely and can speak Korean and English well, this is a sensitive topic. But talking to the older folk will tell you more than you can get from books or from stupid reddit. You also get heart, and that is something hard to find.

1