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Uriminzokkiri

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Uriminzokkiri
Type of site
News
Available inKorean (North Korean standard), English, Chinese, Japanese, Russian
OwnerKorea 615 Shenyang Co.
EditorKorea June 15 Edition Company (Korean: 조선륙일오편집사)
URLuriminzokkiri.com/index.php?lang=eng Edit this at Wikidata (English)
CommercialNo
RegistrationNone for use, required for commenting
Launched2003
Current statusOffline
Uriminzokkiri
Chosŏn'gŭl
우리민족끼리
Hancha
우리民族끼리
Revised RomanizationUriminjokkiri
McCune–ReischauerUriminjokkiri

Uriminzokkiri (Korean: 우리 민족끼리; Hanja: 우리 民族끼리; lit. Among our nation) was a North Korean state-controlled news website, much of whose content is syndicated from other news groups within the country, such as KCNA.[1] Aside from on their own website, Uriminzokkiri also distributes information over Flickr, Twitter, Youku and Instagram.[2] Uriminzokkiri's official website is blocked in South Korea, and the group previously operated accounts on Facebook and YouTube until both were terminated.[3][4]

History

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Uriminzokkiri was launched in 2003 from a server in Shanghai. It was the first website established by North Korea.[5]

In August 2010, Uriminzokkiri launched YouTube, Facebook, and X (formerly Twitter) accounts in an effort to improve North Korea's image around the world.[6] Uriminzokkiri maintains an account on the Chinese video platform Youku, and has uploaded more than 14,000 videos.[citation needed]

On 3 April 2013, hacker group Anonymous claimed it had stolen 15,000 user passwords as part of a cyberwar against the DPRK.[7] Several hours later, Anonymous claimed responsibility for hacking into the Uriminzokkiri website and its X (formerly Twitter) and Flickr accounts.[8][9]

In January 2017 the American internet platform YouTube temporarily terminated Uriminzokkiri's YouTube Channel, due to legal complaints without stating any further information.[10]

Uriminzokkiri has been offline since 11 January 2024, after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for a "fundamental turnaround" of North Korea's policy towards reunification and South Korea.[11]

Around February 2024, the handle for the @uriminzok X (formerly Twitter) account has been taken over by somebody else, showing that they've since deleted their social media presence.[12]

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On 18 September 2012, Uriminzokkiri uploaded a video containing a photoshopped image of South Korea's president-elect Park Geun-hye performing the dance moves of "Gangnam Style". The video also mocks her as a devoted admirer of the Yushin system of autocratic rule set up by her father, Park Chung Hee.[13][14]

On 5 February 2013, a film that featured New York City in flames was removed from YouTube after a Digital Millennium Copyright Act complaint filed by Activision due to the use of footage from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.[15][16] On 19 March 2013, a new North Korean propaganda video was posted on the Uriminzokkiri YouTube channel that presented images of an imagined missile attack on U.S. government buildings in Washington, D.C., including the White House and the Capitol.[17]

On 21 May 2013, Uriminzokkiri claimed that North Korea's threat to target the Blue House (using unmanned aerial vehicles instead of surface-to-surface missiles) was intended to use "terrain features for cover". It also pointed out that the UAVs are capable of hitting the Blue House in less than three minutes travelling at 925 km/h. The website further boasted that North Korean drones are also capable of attacking the Capital Defence Command on the southern side of Mount Kwanak in southern Seoul.[18] South Korea's top brass ignored these imminent provocations, just as they did in 2010 before the sinking of the Navy corvette Cheonan.[19]

On 24 March 2014, weeks after Australian missionary John Short[20] was deported from North Korea for "anti-state" religious acts, Uriminzokkiri released an article using biblical terms and references to describe the country as a utopian paradise. Titled "Korea is a human paradise in which Jesus would have nothing to do even if he came", the article portrays North Korea as a land with free healthcare, free education, and no taxes thanks to Kim Jong-un. The article claimed that its title is a direct quote from an American religious figure who visited North Korea but is not named throughout the article.[21]

Etymology

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The Uriminzokkiri website offers no official English translation of its name. The term can be broken down into uri, meaning "we", "our", or "collective self";[22] minjok, meaning "people", "nation", or in this case simply "Koreans"; and kkiri, meaning "with", "between", "together", or "among", in some cases with an exclusionary nuance, presumably intended in this case to convey the notion that Korean issues are to be solved by the Koreans themselves and not third parties or superpowers. The translation "on our own as a nation"[23] has been used by a major newspaper. A relatively literal translation would be "Our People (or Peoples) Together/As One", "Bringing Our Nation(s) Together", or "We the [Korean] People". Incorporating the exclusionary nuance of kkiri, and being less literal, might yield "Just Us Koreans".[24]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Successes Made in River Improvement". Uriminzokkiri. Retrieved 2021-04-29.
  2. ^ "North Korea umps Onto Twitter". PCWorld. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  3. ^ "YouTube continues to terminate North Korea-related channels". NK News. 2017-09-08. Retrieved 2021-04-06.
  4. ^ "Uriminzokkiri". North Korea Tech. 7 December 2010. Retrieved 2015-05-22.
  5. ^ Cha, Victor D. (2013). The Impossible State: North Korea, Past and Future. Internet Archive. New York: Ecco. p. 449. ISBN 978-0-06-199850-8. LCCN 2012009517. OCLC 1244862785.
  6. ^ "N Korea Twitter account 'hacked'". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  7. ^ Graziano, Dan. "Anonymous threatens cyberwar on North Korea, steals 15,000 passwords". BGR News. Yahoo! News. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
  8. ^ "Hackers hijack pro-North Korea website Uriminzokkiri". Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  9. ^ "North Korean social media apparently hacked". CNN. 5 April 2013.
  10. ^ Hamish Macdonald: YouTube continues to terminate North Korea-related channels, NK News. 8 September 2017.
  11. ^ Reddy, Shreyas (12 January 2024). "North Korean propaganda sites offline for second day in likely sign of removal". NK News. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
  12. ^ "@uriminzok on X". Retrieved 25 Jun 2024.
  13. ^ "N. Korea takes 'Gangnam Style' shot at South politician". The Straits Times. August 20, 2012. Retrieved 2012-09-20.
  14. ^ Kwon, K. J.; Mullen, Jethro (September 20, 2012). "North Korean video evokes 'Gangnam Style' to taunt South Korean candidate". CNN. Retrieved 2012-09-25.
  15. ^ "North Korea propaganda taken off YouTube after Activision complaint". BBC News. 6 February 2013.
  16. ^ "N. Korea warns U.S. is within range of strategic rockets, nukes". 27 February 2013. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  17. ^ "North Korean video shows imagined attack on Washington – CNN.com". CNN. 19 March 2013.
  18. ^ "Seoul Ignored N.Korean Drone Threat". Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  19. ^ "Military Wakes Up Late to Another N.Korean Threat". Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  20. ^ "Released SA missionary heads home". 3 March 2014.
  21. ^ "North Korea: Move on, Jesus. There's nothing to do here – International – WORLD". Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  22. ^ "우리(URI) – THE KOREAN NOTION OF THE COLLECTIVE SELF". Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  23. ^ Roberts, Laura (21 August 2010). "North Korea joins Facebook". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  24. ^ "Nicholas Eberstadt on Understanding North Korea". Conversations with Bill Kristol. March 2018.
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