Clinton picks N. Korea as example of Internet censorship

By Hwang Doo-hyong
WASHINGTON, Jan. 21 (Yonhap) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Thursday
singled out North Korea as an example of a country that practices Internet
censorship.
"In North Korea, for example, the government has tried to completely isolate its
citizens from outside opinions," Clinton said in a speech to a forum at the
Newseum journalism museum here.
She also called on China to look into the recent cyber attacks on Google.
The U.S. Internet giant said last week that it will no longer abide Chinese
censorship of its search engine, at the risk of losing business in the country.
China has said it will cooperate closely with Google to resolve any problems so
the issue does not undermine overall Sino-U.S. ties, but insisted on its right to
Internet censorship.
North Korea strictly control its citizens' Internet access while maintaining a
cyber-warfare unit that apparently launched attacks on South Korean and U.S.
government Web sites last summer, briefly paralyzing them.
South Korea recently announced plans to launch a 200-man strong cyber-warfare
unit to counter any such assaults from the North.
Clinton called on governments to cooperate to promote the free flow of
information, which she says should reduce causes for global conflicts.
"We do not block your attempts to communicate with the people in the United
States. But citizens and societies that practice censorship lack exposure to
outside views," she said. "This lopsided access to information increases both the
likelihood of conflict and the probability that small disagreements could
escalate. So I hope that responsible governments with an interest in global
stability will work with us to address such imbalances."
Clinton said, "Information freedom supports the peace and security that provides
a foundation for global progress."
"Historically, asymmetrical access to information is one of the leading causes of
inter-state conflict," she said.
hdh@yna.co.kr
(END)