Access to North Korean media and websites may be widened in South Korea, with the country’s spy agency “positively” reviewing proposed changes to related regulations.
“Fully taking into account the bills’ aims, such as ensuring the public’s right to know, the National Intelligence Service will support the legislation process and positively review (opening) access to North Korean websites,” the spy agency said in a written response to ruling Democratic Party of Korea’s Rep. Youn Kun-young on Wednesday.
The NIS’ response followed questions on its stance over lifting restrictions on North Korean websites, including that of Pyongyang’s state-run newspaper Rodong Sinmun. Under South Korean regulations, information originating from North Korea that praises the North’s regime or undermines South Korea is categorized as “special information,” access to which is restricted to the public.
In its response, the NIS cited proposals from both the Democratic Party and the conservative opposition People Power Party, which sought new legislation for the handling of North Korean information and to revise other related laws.
If the proposed changes are passed into law, current regulations on classifying information originated from North Korea will be abolished, and related matters will fall under the Unification Ministry’s jurisdiction, the NIS said.
The NIS also revealed that a meeting with relevant agencies has been set for Friday, where the possibility of removing Rodong Sinmun from the list of restricted information will be discussed.
Government agencies scheduled to take part in the meeting are the Ministry of Unification; the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism; the Ministry of Education; the Ministry of Science and ICT; and the Korea Media and Communications Commission.
The NIS’s response comes days after President Lee Jae Myung criticized restricting access to North Korea media during a policy briefing by the Ministry of Unification on Dec. 19. At the time, the Unification Ministry officials said that while the ministry was in agreement, the NIS and other related agencies were more cautious about the issue.
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