North Korea’s viral TikTok video praising Kim Jong-un banned in South Korea
- South Korea’s media regulator said it was banning access to a North Korean propaganda music video that it said idolised and glorified leader Kim Jong-un
- Titled ‘Friendly Father’, the video clip was unveiled last month by the North’s state television, become an unlikely social media hit around the world
South Korea’s media regulator said on Monday it was banning access to a North Korean propaganda music video that it said idolised and glorified leader Kim Jong-un as a “friendly father” and “great leader”.
South Korea’s National Security Act blocks access to the North’s government websites and media to restrict exposure to the efforts by Kim’s autocratic regime to “praise, incite or propagate” its activities.
The two Koreas are still technically at war since an armistice ended the 1950-1953 Korean war, not a peace treaty.
The decision to ban the video was made after intelligence authorities asked for a review on whether it breached the law, Seoul’s Korea Communications Standards Commission.
“The video is typical content linked to psychological warfare against South Korea, as it was posted on a channel operated to connect with the outside world and mainly focused on unilaterally idolising and glorifying Kim,” the regulator said in a statement.
The video has become an unlikely social media hit around the world, going viral on short-form video app TikTok and other platforms.