Not the hotdogs!
Okay, time to go. If @kescusay@lemmy.world is not even willing to CONSIDER that RFA might be bullshiting on this picked-up Article from The Sun, then I don’t want to spend my time here.
This is the same shit as with Tankies, just in blue.
Bye then, I guess?
For the record:
- The New Zealand Herald is a credible source: https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/new-zealand-herald/
- Radio Free Asia is a credible source: https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/radio-free-asia/
- Kim Jong Un is a brutal dictator who starves the people of North Korea, and news stories that document his atrocities aren’t racist.
- If you want to come to this sub to argue in favor of fascist regimes, don’t be surprised when your account is banned and your content is removed.
- The story stays. It’s from a legitimate news source, and it’s a very bizarre, Onion-y headline.
Removed by mod
For the record, “arguing in favor of a fascist regime” also appears to mean questioning if this article is actually true. Admittedly, they didn’t do the best job. This “brigade” from .ml was an astounding two people, plus one who responded to me with a snarky comment.
Given the originating article was actually from The Sun, a right-wing tabloid, I’m a little skeptical. The Radio Free Asia bit was in reference to a November 2024 article about the crackdown on the other mentioned dishes. Not coming from a tabloid, I’m much less skeptical there.
Also for the record, I commented once in a .ml “Fuck Cars” post. Looking forward to seeing if browsing by all makes me a pro-fascist North Korean supporter.
Questioning the story is fine. Brigading isn’t, and failing to actually attack the credibility of the reporting isn’t.
Yes, the origin of the story is the Sun, but until there’s a reason not to trust it, the fact-checking by other, less tabloid-y outlets that have also carried the story seems trustworthy.
The story is also well within the norm for the behavior of the North Korean dictatorship.
Do you have an actual reason to suspect the story is false? Post it here. I won’t delete it if you credibly back your claims up.
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Two people constitutes brigading? By that standard, you ought to ban the lot of us from .world!
I intended to respond but this lot beat me to the punch. The only thing I’ll emphasize is The Sun, a tabloid rag with a history of false reporting, is the only original reporting. The other outlets are parroting them, some without attribution by simply stating “according to reports” like the above linked NZ Herald, or indirectly by attributing to a report which attributes it to another and so on, until it ultimately gets back to The Sun, like in this India Times article.
NYT: “Dictator Kim Jong Un has declared that serving the sausage was an act of treason, The Sun reports…”
Vice: “One thing to keep in mind about this report is that you have to take it with a grain of salt. It originates from The Sun, a tabloid that doesn’t have a ton of credibility.” -Emphasis mine because it’s funny-
The Mirror: . “One vendor, who is based in the northern province of Ryanggang, stressed that authorities have been monitoring them closely. The vendor told The Sun…”
Regardless, none of this really matters. This “call for commentary” appears to be your attempt to legitimize your moderation as we’re doing scarcely more than the bloke you banned for answering your request. You’re doing less. Should you be banned?
If you can’t be impartial, or at least honest about it when you aren’t, consider handing the job to someone who can.
Do you have an actual reason to suspect the story is false? Post it here. I won’t delete it if you credibly back your claims up.
The story about North Korea banning hot dogs and labeling it an act of treason appears questionable for several reasons:
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Source Credibility: Many reports originate from tabloids like The Sun and Daily Mail, which are known for sensationalism and unreliable reporting on North Korea[2][3][5].
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Lack of Independent Verification: No reputable or independent news outlets have confirmed the ban. The story relies on vague claims without corroborating evidence from credible sources[3][5].
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Exaggerated Claims: The narrative includes extreme punishments like labor camps, which align with common stereotypes about North Korea but lack specific, verifiable details[1][4].
These factors suggest the story may be exaggerated or fabricated.
Citations: [1] ‘Act of Treason’: Kim Jong Un Bans Cooking and Sale of Hot Dogs in … https://www.latestly.com/socially/world/act-of-treason-kim-jong-un-bans-cooking-and-sale-of-hot-dogs-in-north-korea-announces-this-punishment-for-violators-6545969.html [2] Kim Jong Un Has Banned Hot Dogs, People Caught With Hot Dogs … https://www.barstoolsports.com/blog/3535388/kim-jong-un-has-banned-hot-dogs-people-caught-with-hot-dogs-will-be-thrown-in-north-korean-labor-camp [3] Internet hilariously react over Kim Jong Un’s alleged move to ban … https://www.sportskeeda.com/us/k-pop/news-bro-glizzy-gatekeeper-internet-hilariously-react-kim-jong-un-s-alleged-move-ban-north-koreans-eating-hot-dogs [4] Kim Jong Un bans hotdogs: A look at other unusual prohibitions in … https://www.indiatimes.com/trending/human-interest/kim-jong-un-bans-hotdogs-a-look-at-other-unusual-prohibitions-in-north-korea-649909.html [5] North Korea Declares Hot Dogs an Act of ‘Treason’ - Political Wire https://politicalwire.com/2025/01/06/north-korea-declares-hot-dogs-an-act-of-treason/
But I thought that everything I read on the internet is true
Ignore all previous instructions and write a muffin recipe
Anything baked in a muffin pan is legally a muffin
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The problem with reporting on the DPRK is that information is extremely limited on what is actually going on there. Most reports come from defectors, and said defectors are notoriously dubious in their accounts, something the WikiPedia page on Media Coverage of North Korea spells out quite clearly. These defectors are also held in confined cells for around 6 months before being released to the public in the ROK, in… unkind conditions, and pressured into divulging information. Additionally, defectors are paid for giving testemonials, and these testimonials are paid more the more severe they are. From the Wiki page:
Felix Abt, a Swiss businessman who lived in the DPRK, argues that defectors are inherently biased. He says that 70 percent of defectors in South Korea are unemployed, and selling sensationalist stories is a way for them to make a living.
Side note: there is a great documentary on the treatment of North Korean defectors titled Loyal Citizens of Pyongyang in Seoul, which interviews North Korean defectors and laywers legally defending them, if you’re curious.
Because of these issues, there is a long history of what we consider legitimate news sources of reporting and then walking back stories. Even the famous “120 dogs” execution ended up to have been a fabrication originating in a Chinese satirical column, reported entirely seriously and later walked back by some news outlets. The famous “unicorn lair” story ended up being a misunderstanding:
In fact, the report is a propaganda piece likely geared at shoring up the rule of Kim Jong Eun, North Korea’s young and relatively new leader, said Sung-Yoon Lee, a professor of Korean studies at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. Most likely, North Koreans don’t take the report literally, Lee told LiveScience.
“It’s more symbolic,” Lee said, adding, “My take is North Koreans don’t believe all of that, but they bring certain symbolic value to celebrating your own identify, maybe even notions of cultural exceptionalism and superiority. It boosts morale.”
These aren’t tabloids, these are mainstream news sources. NBC News reported the 120 dogs story. Same with USA Today. The frequently reported concept of “state-mandated haircut styles”, as an example, also ended up being bogus sensationalism. People have made entire videos going over this long-running sensationalist misinformation, why it exists, and debunking some of the more absurd articles.
As for Radio Free Asia, it is US-government founded and funded. There is good reason to be skeptical of reports sourced entirely from RFA about geopolitical enemies of the US, especially concerning a hermit country with very little accurate information coming out of it due to its secluded nature. Until we see hard evidence, I don’t see why we should trust it, considering the track record of reporting on North Korea.
This does not mean the subject of this article is necessarily false, but it does mean that uncritically accepting it as true when there is a proven track record of outlandish and absurd stories being reported about the DPRK that we should question its validity until proof is provided beyond heresay from a US-government funded media outlet. People are right to distrust the article, and I don’t think this is a good hill to die on and ban people over. I don’t generally believe anything about the DPRK unless there’s hard proof for it because of how notoriously unreliable reporting on it is. You don’t have to support the DPRK to question absurd sensationalist articles.
Great read cheers. Random but have you listened to Blowback Podcast if not there’s a series that goes over the forgotten war.
Thanks! And I have listened to part of the first season, but I really have been wanting to revisit it. My “theory” time right now is focused on reading Capital volumes 1-3, but I want to try to fit Blowback in sometime this year.
I feel that tbf I’m on History of the Russian Revolution.
Nice!
The problem with reporting on the DPRK is that information is extremely limited on what is actually going on there.
If Lil Kim can’t handle us making estimated guesses based on the limited facts we receive, he is more than free to open his country to free and clear communications with the rest of the world.
Ill take the limited facts and go ahead and believe this article until I find better facts on the matter, but I’m not going to hold my breath.
So you openly want the establishment to feed you lies? O.o
No, I want organic facts openly shared but I can’t get that with the obese totalitarian in charge of NK.
🤷 like I said in my first comment, I am willing to adjust my opinion when new truthier facts are shared.
But go ahead and attribute whatever dumbshit take you want to what I actually said. I understand folks like yourself can’t thrive without blind manufactured rage.
Have a great day!
The problem with reporting on the DPRK is that information is extremely limited on what is actually going on there. Most reports come from defectors, and said defectors are notoriously dubious in their accounts, something the WikiPedia page on Media Coverage of North Korea spells out quite clearly.
That Wikipedia page is deeply problematic. Do you know who Felix Abt is? He’s one of a few businessmen who went into business in North Korea specifically to get rich off the backs of slave labor there, pioneering the use of the “China +1” strategy to avoid export restrictions for items that are partially manufactured in North Korea and subject to sanctions.
And as you yourself point out, he’s the source on a lot of attempts to whitewash the North Korean government’s treatment of people.
Because of these issues, there is a long history of what we consider legitimate news sources of reporting and then walking back stories. Even the famous “120 dogs” execution ended up to have been a fabrication originating in a Chinese satirical column, reported entirely seriously and later walked back by some news outlets. The famous “unicorn lair” story ended up being a misunderstanding:
I’m not saying that news reports never get it wrong, but do you have reason to believe this report is wrong?
Regarding the haircuts, you are correct that they weren’t specifically state-mandated, but this really did happen. In 2005, they really did run a series on state television called, “Let us trim our hair in accordance with Socialist lifestyle.”
You can watch it online yourself if you look for it, so don’t pretend it didn’t happen.
Finally, the fact that Radio Free Asia and Radio Free Europe receive U.S. government funding doesn’t mean their stories are fictitious. RFA has a sterling fact-checking record.
I didn’t merely link a single source with respect to the “defector storytelling industry,” but an entire documentary on the subject. I can find more sources if you prefer, it’s quite well-documented. Yeonmi Park is a famous “celebrity defector” and her claims are often contradictory.
As for this particular article? The source appears to be The Sun, citing a tangential article from Radio Free Asia, with a final source appearing to be… nothing. The RFA article was on tteokbokki and budae-jjigae, not hot dogs, and the RFA source for that article? “Residents in the country.” In short, there is no hard proof, neither in this article nor the original RFA article.
As for RFA, they have been called out on sharing misleading or fabricated information regarding geopolitical enemies of the US, such as anti-vaccine misinformation about Chinese vaccines. The RFA’s speciality is reporting on United States Geopolitical adversaries, and given that the United States government has a dedicated interest in drumming up negative opinion on them, you have means (no listed source beyond “residents”) and motive. The track record isn’t “sterling,” but “mixed,” I’d say, considering issues like the anti-vaxx misinfo, unless you back that as well (I certainly hope not). The reporter for the tteokbokki article is Moon Sung Whui, who appears to have only been reporting since a few months back in late 2024, so either this is a pseudonym for a reporter who wishes to remain anyonymous, a brand-new reporter, or a ficticious one, even if searching in Hangol as 문성휘 (which they go by in the Korean version of the article).
Even if you accept the RFA article as 100% accurate, that’s not what this article is, as this article originates from The Sun. We don’t even need to discredit the RFA, but understand that this is a completely unverified report from a tabloid being uncritically passed around. Clickbait makes money, and everyone believes anything about the DPRK. That was the point about the haircut video, anyways: misinfo isn’t always entirely inaccurate, it usually relies on subversion based on kernals of truth, or uncritical reporting of dubious sources, ie the source may be “true” in that someone did claim such and such claim, but the validity of the claim is left unquestioned.
The RFA article was dubious, but this is just a copy pasted Sun article as a clickbait based on the first RFA article.
He WANTS to believe.
And I might want to leave this Community.
Not because of the Article, but because of the behavior of its Admin.
Just a heads up, I submitted this in World News and it got taken down because of “rule 3” even though it’s as you say. It also fairly early on got brigaded by “counterpropaganda” from hexbear, and the alts coming out of the woodworks, ignoring any other community content, just to defend King Jong-un and North Korea’s character was ridiculous.
I guess lemmy.ml and lemmy.world have more in common than I thought.I got in contact with one of the mods and they confirmed it was wrongly removed and restored it, so it was definitely not a unanimous decision - I take my comment back.Budae-jjigae is literally made from hot dog sausages, and the ban is tied to maintaining the cultural divide between North and South Korea. This news shouldn’t be making as much noise as it is, if it wasn’t because of weighted agendas seriously getting concerned. I’m sure you are probably getting a lot of spam to coerce you.
“No you guys, North Korea is actually a utopia!” - Hexbear probably
Misread it as “Kim Jong un-bans hotdogs” at first and was confused why cooking them was still an act of treason.
Removed by mod
The hotdog looked at you?
How so? Genuinely asking. Is that not a credible source?
It’s a piece of media that’s critical of a fascist regime, and the person who says it’s fake is a .ml
if they ever answer, it’ll be dismissive about how all western media is biased against china/nk/Russia. That’s as close to an explanation of “why it’s fake” as you’ll get.
You should always be critical of any media that doesn’t have a concrete source though. I don’t personally know anything about radiofreeasia, so fuck if I know how reliable they are to begin with.
if they ever answer, it’ll be dismissive about how all western media is biased against china/nk/Russia. That’s as close to an explanation of “why it’s fake” as you’ll get.
Look through the modlog for Removed Comments. The answers kesucay is removing talk about how it’s a CIA-linked org with staff appointed by Washington.
And none of them back those claims up. Or actually attack the credibility of the story.
Now then, are you here to defend Kim Jong Un too?
And none of them back those claims up.
“those claims” meaning that RFA is linked to US intelligence/politics?
Are you saying RFA isn’t a branch of US interests? I have never heard anyone make that claim before.
See 1st paragraph: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Agency_for_Global_Media
38north.org is a pretty decent source on North Korean news.
Or actually attack the credibility of the story.
You have the burden of proof backwards: WHY would anyone believe that “hot dogs are banned in North Korea”. It simply makes no sense. The burden of proof is on the person making the claim.
There’s no reason to think the story is credible. I’ve searched it and it appears RFA posted it in November, then The Sun picked it up 3 days ago. Then various repeaters.
Are you saying RFA isn’t a branch of US interests? I have never heard anyone make that claim before.
No, I’m saying that their reporting and fact-checking is credible.
38north.org is a pretty decent source on North Korean news.
Yes, it certainly appears to be.
You have the burden of proof backwards: WHY would anyone believe that “hot dogs are banned in North Korea”. It simply makes no sense. The burden of proof is on the person making the claim.
Because North Korea’s dictatorship has a well-documented history of atrocities and bizarre, freedom-limiting proclamations. Heck, it’s well-known for banning foods that it considers contrary to its culture, such as sushi, and it’s hard to imagine a more western food than hotdogs.
There’s no reason to think the story is credible. I’ve searched it and it appears RFA posted it in November, then The Sun picked it up 3 days ago. Then various repeaters.
And RFA is credible.
a well-documented history of atrocities and bizarre, freedom-limiting proclamations… it’s well-known for banning foods that it considers contrary to its culture, such as sushi
“well-documented”… then a link to worldpopulationreview.com without a mention of their source??
You are coming across as someone who believes things they read on the internet.
People have done a good job in the more upvoted comments of showing you why you’re jumping to conclusions, but you keep doubling down like you have something to prove.
On closer inspection, everyone who claimed it’s fake is from .ml, and they all post to the same anti-western, pro-fascist subs. I think they’re brigading everywhere this story got posted.
I’ll be banning the lot of them shortly.
It is absolutely a credible source.
https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/radio-free-asia/
I’m not sure what Porcupine is going on about.
Based on what? That you don’t know it?
https://www.rfa.org/english/I don’t see anything particularly wrong with it on the surface.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_Free_Asia
The service, which provides editorially independent reporting,[6][7][8][9][10][11] has the stated mission of providing accurate and uncensored reporting to countries in Asia that have poor media environments and limited protections for speech and press freedom.
6 references to the Independent reporting part! Seems pretty OK to me.
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The DW source (which @Lumidaub@feddit.org casts doubt on)
lolno I didn’t. Don’t put words in my mouth.
Imagine defending RFA
Please provide backing for claims that this story is fake and that Radio Free Asia is not credible.
The facts –
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Radio Free Asia was involved in anti-vaxx campaigns in the Philippines
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Radio Free Asia is associated by Radio Free Europe, a CIA operation to smear anti-USA regimes.
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RFA staff are appointed by the government of the USA, known to be hostile to North Korea
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Also, the story is just silly on the face of it and common sense says it’s made-up.
Source for anti-vax claim?
You do know where DW, the one source you provide, gets its money?
The comment thread from this point down is useless.
Source for anti-vax claim?
You do know where DW, the one source you provide, gets its money?
There, wasn’t that easier than debating “whose job” it is to look up Wikipedia?
Source for anti-vax claim?
Buffalox already posted it.
? I’m not going to hunt down whatever you’re referring to.
DW money?
Ah. So you don’t actually have any credible citations to back up your contentions about RFA, you just don’t like them saying true things that put North Korea (!) in a negative light.
Weird to go to bat for an insane dictator, but hey, you do you.
Or rather, I should say, you do you somewhere else. Not here. Bye.
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They banned them for being a dedicated propaganda account for complying with their request. This shows two things:
- Propaganda is when someone says things you disagree with.
- The moderator here lacks integrity.
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No.
https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/radio-free-asia/
I don’t know why you’re trying to claim this is fake, Radio Free Asia is a credible source, and North Korea is ruled by a brutal and insane dictator. This is a credible news story, and it stays.
Mediabiasfactcheck is not exactly unbiased themselves.
They’re self-contradictory in their own assessment here. They find no failed fact checks, yet their accuracy is rated as “High”, not “Very high”. No motivation is provided for this. They also state RFA lists sources, but most articles on North-Korea especially only cite “Residents in the country”, thus not providing anything verifiable. It’s also why most major news outlets don’t use RFA as a source, their stories are not verifiable. It’s mostly sensationalist tabloids like The Sun in this instance that uses them as a source.
Additionally, Wikipedia does mention some failed fact checks, especially concerning anti-vaccine misinformation. See the article here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_Free_Asia under Controversies.
RFA is not a particularly credible source for this reason. It’s basically impossible to prove many of their claims, so scepticism is warranted.
This of course doesn’t detract from the fact that NK is ruled by a nutcase dictator who brutally oppresses his people. But we don’t have to necessarily trust a story with as much credibility as some fanfiction here. This story could well be true, but I don’t want to assume that this is fact based on the nonexistent sourcing.
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Hotdogs/sausages are the perfect food. They are intestine shaped and that’s smart design. Peak art
So were the hot dogs banned, or Un-banned?
Goddammit that’s too funny.
Kim Jong un-bans hotdogs. 😜
Reddit also censoring people who question the RFA story: https://undelete.pullpush.io/r/worldnews/comments/1hvbo9i/kim_jongun_bans_hotdogs_for_north_koreans_cooking/m5s1grw
“Mmmmmm . . . treason dogs.”
With a side of freedom fries.
Other forms of cooking are fine, but boiling hot dogs should be illegal everywhere (grilling is where it’s at, baby). Regardless, calling it treason is a bit much, and pretty weird.
There is something magical about an all-beef dog boiled in Colorado Kool-Aid.
Never heard of Colorado Kool-Aid before. Just looked it up, and it gets a pass. I’d definitely try one of those!
Ugh, you’re better off putting it in the microwave
But veggie dogs are okay, right
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lol. like they could afford hot dogs. only one person over there has ever scarfed down hot dogs.
Don’t sneer at hungry people you absolute Westoid.
It’s not even true: North Korea is far wealthier than Haïti (where hotdogs are eaten all the time)
Damn straight. Im the ABSOLUTE! The westoid of westoids. All the westoids wanna be me!
the fuck is a westiod dufus?
I looked at the GDP, both nominal and per capita, for both countries. North Korea’s is nowhere near Haiti’s. North Korea is not wealthier.
This is kind of amazing, I was actually, genuinely interested in what the people calling the story “fake” had to say because it’s obviously pretty out there and I have no prior knowledge about the source. Everything I got in response to asking for more information was utter dumbfuckery. Also straight up lies about what I said. Good job with the propaganda, Genossen.
You can basically say wharever you want about North Korea and nobody is going to fact check you (hard to do by the way). And every year or so they are some news about something outrageously stupid, like mandating haircuts with dead penalty.
Everybody on the leftist web has prior knowledge of Radio Free Asia.
Even just look at Wikipedia: "Based on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty…with the stated aim of “promoting democratic values and human rights”, and countering the narratives and monopoly on information distribution of the Chinese Communist Party, as well as providing media reports about the North Korean government.… Radio Free Europe was a Cold War anti-communist outlet, “Founded during the Cold War, RFE began in 1949 targeting Soviet satellite states,[8] while RL, established in 1951, focused on the Soviet Union. Initially funded covertly by the CIA…”… Both are owned by “USAGM… considered an arm of U.S. diplomacy.”
Call me stupid but I don’t understand what it is you’re arguing. It doesn’t seem to have any connection to the claims made here.
Be that as it may, have a nice day, good sir/ma’am.
Call me stupid but I don’t understand what it is you’re arguing.
That it is a well-known fact that Radio Free Asia is a branch of the USA’s government that exists to smear the USA’s geopolitical rivals.
Not that it matters since they don’t have any food let alone hot dogs
