Ministry of Unification Urges Urgent Monitoring of North Korea's Fake News Distorting Inter-Korean Policy

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo In-ho] The Ministry of Unification decided to improve the monitoring system in consultation with experts, stating that the spread of fake news related to North Korea could distort the environment for inter-Korean policy.

Lee Jong-joo, spokesperson for the Ministry of Unification, said at a regular briefing on the 6th regarding the inclusion of a budget (200 million KRW) for monitoring fake news related to North Korea in next year's budget, “We will concretize the details such as monitoring targets, information verification criteria, and methods through sufficient consultation with specialized institutions.”

The spokesperson said, “During the National Assembly’s budget review process, there have been frequent cases where false and fabricated information related to North Korea spreads mainly through new media, causing various harms such as distortion of the policy implementation environment. The budget was increased with the intention of systematic monitoring.”

However, he added that specific project plans are still being prepared, saying, “We will determine the execution of the project in accordance with the intent of the National Assembly’s budget increase.”

The 2022 Ministry of Unification budget, passed by the National Assembly plenary session on the 3rd, included a budget for the fake news monitoring project related to North Korea for the first time.

There have been cases where incorrect information, such as rumors about the death of Kim Jong-un, General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, was spread, and it appears that the government intends to entrust experts to prepare monitoring countermeasures. However, some raise concerns about the effectiveness of the monitoring scope and methods.

Meanwhile, regarding reports by some media outlets that the Blue House is considering sending a letter to General Secretary Kim for discussions on a declaration to end the war, the spokesperson drew a line, saying, “It is not appropriate to respond to speculative articles.”

He reaffirmed the existing position, stating, “We have been closely consulting with related countries, including the United States, on the issue of promoting a declaration to end the war.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.