The Korea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC) announced on May 20th that it will prohibit the promotion of the dictator Kim Jong-un in brainwashing propaganda songs. This song, which has been circulating on TikTok since April, violates South Korea’s National Security Law.
The brainwashing song depicts Kim Jong-un as a “kind father” and a “great leader.”
According to reports from Reuters and the BBC, the KCSC stated in a statement on Monday, May 20th, that “this song idolizes Kim Jong-un, praising and glorifying him.”
South Korea’s National Security Law prohibits access to North Korean government websites and media to prevent people from being brainwashed by the propaganda activities of Kim Jong-un’s authoritarian regime.
The KCSC stated in its announcement that 29 versions of the music video will be blocked, but did not provide detailed information on how this action will be carried out.
The regulatory body stated, “This video is a typical psychological warfare content targeting the South Korean population, as it was released on a channel used for external communication and primarily focuses on unilateral worship and idolization of Kim Jong-un.”
According to the KCSC statement, after a request from South Korea’s National Intelligence Service to review whether the video violated the law, the KCSC made the decision to prohibit it.
North Korean state media often exaggerate the loyalty of the North Korean people to their leader to help consolidate the Kim regime’s power and cultivate personal worship of the leader.
The song was broadcast on North Korea’s state-run Central Television in April. The video then unexpectedly went viral on TikTok and other platforms.
Last year, at the request of intelligence agencies, South Korean regulatory authorities blocked some YouTube channels that promoted the North Korean regime.
TikTok has faced strong condemnation from U.S. lawmakers. According to Reuters and the polling firm Ipsos, in a two-day poll ending on April 30, the majority of Americans agreed with the claim that the Chinese government uses TikTok, owned by ByteDance, to “influence American public opinion.”
President Biden signed the “TikTok Divestment Act” last month, requiring the Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to divest its U.S. business within a year, or face a ban.