Ministry of Unification Excludes Media from Monitoring 'Fake News' Related to North Korea

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] The Ministry of Unification, which is conducting a monitoring project on 'fake news' related to North Korea, has reportedly decided to exclude the media from the monitoring targets.

According to a government official on the 1st, the Ministry of Unification has named the 'fake news monitoring' project as 'Online Issue Management for the Expansion of Unification Consensus.'

The fake news monitoring project was disclosed during the explanation of the Ministry of Unification's 2022 budget in December last year. It was intended to establish systematic monitoring in preparation for the spread of North Korea-related fake news, such as rumors about Kim Jong-un's death.

However, as concerns arose about the weakening of the media's role in criticizing North Korea, the Ministry of Unification decided to exclude the media from the monitoring scope and limit it to blogs, cafes, communities, and social network service (SNS) content.

The Ministry of Unification is currently selecting a specialized outsourcing company.