Monday, January 06, 2014

North Korea's invisible phone, killer dogs and other such stories - why the world is transfixed...

In many ways, North Korea is like no other country. But when it comes to covering news about the 'Hermit Kingdom' it seems that sometimes the rule book is thrown out the window.

From a 140-character message on China's Twitter-like Weibo service that sprung headlines worldwide about Kim Jong-un's 'assassination', to 'news' that North Korea's football coach received World Cup 2010 tips from Kim Jong Il through an invisible mobile phone, the North Korea media environment periodically erupts with sensational stories that quickly spread across the globe.

The problem is, they're often based on just one unnamed source – and sometimes even worse.

The latest rumour about the supposed execution of Kim's disgraced uncle Jang Song-thaek's by a pack of dogs is an exceptional case in point. Only with North Korea could a satirical post on a Chinese social media website go viral a month after publication and lead to serious media outlets claiming that this was how Kim's uncle likely died.

 So what is going on in this echo chamber of North Korea nonsense? Full story...

Related posts:
  1. Kim Jong-un ‘uncle fed to 120 dogs’ story begun by Chinese satirist...
  2. The secret item found in every North Korean home...
  3. Choco pies: The smuggled treats of North Korea...
  4. And Hollywood's latest bad guys are... the North Koreans!
  5. What's going on in North Korea?
  6. Kim Jong-un's ex-lover 'executed by firing squad'
  7. Dear leader Kim Jong-il dreams of sushi...
  8. Giant rabbits and virgin blood: the krazy world of Kim Jong-il...

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