DP proposes bill to allow South Koreans access to North's websites

The Democratic Party aims to revise the law to allow people in South Korea to access North Korean websites. A bill was proposed on Friday that would allow the viewing of the North's sites but would ban content prohibited by national security law.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un [RODONG SINMUN]

The Democratic Party is pushing to revise the law to allow people in South Korea to access North Korean websites.

Rep. Han Min-soo of the Democratic Party proposed a bill on Friday that would allow access to and viewing of North Korean websites but continue to ban the distribution of content prohibited under the National Security Act. Eleven other lawmakers from the same party, including Reps. Park Kyoon-taek and Kim Gi-pyo, co-sponsored the bill.

“Recently, not only academic and media circles but also the general public have shown increasing demand for information to better understand North Korea,” said Han, explaining the bill’s purpose. “We aim to expand opportunities for people to acquire objective information about North Korea and promote a balanced understanding of the North.”

“Blocking access to these websites excessively restricts people’s fundamental right to access information and limits the free use of information needed for public discourse on North Korea and unification," added Han.

The government currently blocks access to around 60 North Korean websites, including Rodong Sinmun, the North’s state-run newspaper.

According to a Democratic Party official, the Ministry of Unification also supports the bill, reportedly citing widespread circumvention of the ban via overseas platforms and saying the current law is ineffective.

The People Power Party opposes the bill, citing national security concerns.

“Following the ruling bloc’s proposal to abolish the National Security Act, this new bill raises serious concerns about their awareness of security threats,” said party spokesperson Cho Yong-sul. “It is unclear how making it easier to access North Korean websites serves the national interest, especially amid international efforts to strengthen the South Korea-U.S. alliance and maintain sanctions on the North.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. BY SHIN HYE-YEON [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]