North Korean TV blurs Seoul buildings in an attempt to make South Korea appear unstable

A talk show in North Korea blurred images of Seoul, South Korea skyscrapers during a report on candlelight protests last Sunday.

In November of 2016, South Korean citizens gathered in masses to peacefully protest against President Park Geun Hye. Since then, Park Geun Hye has been impeached, and South Korea has been tasked with deconstructing many massive corruption scandals ever since. Reports of the protest were aired on a North Korean morning news show last week – however, images of the event featured one very prominent change.

Images of tall buildings in Seoul had been blurred out – in order to make the appearance of the city less large and impressive.

The image blurring demonstrates the highly controlled use of the media in North Korea in both what is shown, and when news is heard.

Rodong Sinmun and Central TV have also pixilated statues of historic Korean figures including King Sejong the Great and Admiral Yi Sun-sin.

A Unification Ministry official commented on the blurring of the image.

“The North Korean regime wanted to give the impression that South Korea is in a turmoil and boast of its own stability, but it must have been worried that candid footage of downtown Seoul would backfire by showing how much more developed the South is.”

Source: Chosun