Ministry of Unification Issues Statement on North Korea's Defamation Against South Korea
"Fake News from North Korea, Propaganda and Agitation Will Not Work"
On the 2nd, the Ministry of Unification urged North Korea to immediately stop intensifying its anti-South slander that fosters social division ahead of the general election.
In a statement released that day, the Ministry said, "Ahead of our election schedule, North Korea continues to slander and disparage the president through state-run media such as Rodong Sinmun and Korean Central News Agency, exaggerate anti-government protests in some parts of South Korea, and foster division within our society."
It added, "These attempts by North Korea are a serious matter that could undermine the foundation of our liberal democratic system. Our government will not tolerate this, and we clearly state that no wise citizen of ours will be deceived by it."
The Ministry of Unification further stated, "We strongly warn once again against North Korea's malicious attempts, which have intensified ahead of the general election, and clearly point out that North Korea-originated fake news, propaganda, and agitation will not work within our liberal democratic system."
In fact, North Korea has recently increased its anti-South slander reports.
A Ministry official told reporters that day, "Rodong Sinmun has been publishing reports on protest trends within South Korea aimed at criticizing the South every Tuesday on page 6. Excluding these, the number of anti-South articles increased to 7 in January, 12 in February, and 22 in March."
According to the Ministry of Unification's analysis, North Korea continues its propaganda and agitation focusing on slandering and disparaging the president, exaggerating anti-government protests, and fostering division within our society.
For example, on the 19th of last month, it published a report titled "Building an Impeachment Parliament through the Total Unity of Democratic Forces Opposing the Yoon ○○ Dictatorial Regime," and on the 21st, a report titled "Yoon ○○ Provides Legitimate Worker Dismissal Rights to Chaebol Companies, Leading to Widespread Collective Layoffs."
On the same day, Rodong Sinmun introduced the candlelight rally held on the 30th of last month in an article titled "Let's Drive Toward Yoon Seok-yeol's Impeachment Like a Typhoon," stating, "Mass struggles are expanding day by day," and "In response, Yoon Seok-yeol and the People Power Party gang have fallen into internal strife."
However, there are also criticisms questioning whether these can be seen as propaganda and agitation targeting the South Korean general election, as Rodong Sinmun and Korean Central News Agency are mainly accessed by people inside North Korea. Their websites are classified as harmful sites domestically and can only be accessed via circumvention.
Regarding this, a Ministry official explained, "Many related reports are published through Rodong Sinmun and the official external media, Korean Central News Agency, and although Rodong Sinmun is officially a domestic media outlet, our citizens still access its content through various channels."
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