The US last week offered North Korea an online welcome to Twitter but warned the reclusive regime it might wind up with more than it bargained for entering the connected world.
The US State Department’s chief spokesman, Philip Crowley, turned to his own account on the popular micro-blogging site to “welcome North Korea to Twitter and the networked world.”
But Crowley told North Korea — whose tweets have so far consisted of links to its famously strident anti-US and anti-Seoul statements — that “we use Twitter to connect, to inform and to debate.”
“The North Korean government has joined Twitter, but is it prepared to allow its citizens to be connected as well?” Crowley said in another tweet.
“The Hermit Kingdom will not change overnight, but technology once introduced can’t be shut down. Just ask Iran,” he wrote.
It was a pointed reference to last year’s major street protests in Iran, where opponents of the hard-line theocratic regime organized and distributed footage of banned demonstrations through Twitter and other new technology.
North Korea, one of the world’s most controlled states, is believed to have an elite unit of hackers but few of its citizens have access to a computer, let alone the Internet.
But, even if it is only for curiosity value, Pyongyang’s Twitter account — which is only in Korean — has rapidly attracted followers.
As of last Wednesday, North Korea’s account, @uriminzok, had some 8,700 followers — about 5,000 more than Crowley had at @pjcrowley.(AFP)
美國上週於微型網誌「推特」發文歡迎北韓上網，但也提醒封閉的北韓政府，以此方法與世界接軌，結果可能超乎預期。
美國國務院首席發言人菲力浦•克勞里在這受歡迎的微型網誌上，用自己的帳號發表了「歡迎北韓來到推特，並與網路世界接軌」。
但是克勞里告訴目前只發反美與反南韓連結推文的北韓說，「我們用推特是要彼此聯絡，廣發新知，以及辯論。」
克勞里於另一則推文表示，「北韓政府雖然加入推特，但是否也準備讓人民上網？」
他寫道，「這個『封閉的王國』無法一夕之間改變，但科技一旦注入，就無法停止了。問伊朗就知道。」
他指的是去年伊朗的街頭抗議，強硬派神權當局的反對者組織起來，透過推特與其他新科技，發表遭禁的抗議影片。
北韓是世上管制最嚴的國家之一。據悉北韓準備一支精銳的駭客部隊，但有電腦的北韓民眾少之又少，更別提網際網路了。
但即使純粹為了好奇，平壤只用韓文推文的推特帳號，也很快地吸引了網友追隨。
直到上週三，北韓的帳號@uriminzok已有約八千七百名追隨者──比克勞里的帳號@pjcrowley還多了約五千名。
（法新社╱翻譯：吳岱璟）
The choice of a successor to the Dalai Lama, the spiritual head of Tibetan Buddhists, is a matter of major interest not only for millions of followers of his religion, but also for China, India and the United States, for strategic reasons. The Nobel peace laureate, who turned 90 on Sunday, is regarded as one of the world’s most influential figures, with a following extending well beyond Buddhism. HOW WAS HE CHOSEN? Tibetan tradition holds that the soul of a senior Buddhist monk is reincarnated after his death. The 14th Dalai Lama was born as Lhamo Dhondup on July 6, 1935, to a farming
Have you ever heard the phrase “crocodile tears”? It’s a saying we use to describe someone who sheds fake tears to appear sympathetic or sad while actually feeling no emotion at all. But where did this peculiar expression come from, and is there any truth to it? For centuries, tales have circulated about crocodiles weeping while devouring their prey. One of the earliest and most influential accounts appears in The Travels of Sir John Mandeville, a widely read book from the 14th century. In the book, it is claimed that crocodiles “slay men and they eat them weeping.” This
A: The summer vacation has just begun, and superstars like South Korea’s G-Dragon as well as Taiwan’s Jody Chiang and Mayday have all launched tours. B: Wow, this will be Jody’s first tour in 10 years since she “sealed the microphone” due to serious illness. A: Her shows will kick off at the Kaohsiung Arena tomorrow, and move to the Taipei Arena early next month. B: Mayday’s tour already started late last month and will run until this Saturday. A: The rock band will set a record by holding eight concerts consecutively at the Taipei Dome. Rumor has
In more recent history, geese have been employed in many security settings. As early as 1959, the Ballantine’s whisky distillery in Scotland had some geese __5__ its valuable stock. In 1986, over 900 geese were deployed across US military bases as an early warning system against intruders. They are far cheaper and, in some cases, more __6__ than electronic security systems. Even in modern times, the geese’s role as a guard hasn’t __7__. During the COVID-19 pandemic, China stationed hundreds of geese along its border with Vietnam to prevent illegal crossings and control the spread of the virus. In
RSS