YouTube shutting down North Korean propaganda channel makes nation ‘more opaque’, monitors say
The Uriminzokkiri channel went dark earlier this month after the company said it was in violation of ‘community standards’
North Korea has become “more opaque” to the outside world following a decision by YouTube to silence an official propaganda channel, a monitoring group has warned, as new sanctions over Pyongyang’s nuclear programme begin to bite.
Observers have long relied on state-run news for glimpses into Pyongyang’s secretive government and weapons programme, but one such source – the Uriminzokkiri channel – went dark earlier this month.
“The Western world’s understanding of North Korea is limited to begin with, cutting off access to these few windows into North Korean thinking and life further hampers our knowledge of the country.”
YouTube first pulled the channel in early September with a message stating that it was in violation of “community standards”, and the page currently has a notice that it is subject to a “legal complaint”.
The Google-owned company was not immediately available for comment.