The TikTok Dilemma: A Popular North Korean Song Goes Viral as US Congress Considers Ban

International

Entered 2024.05.06 13:19 Modified 2024.05.06 14:51

Photo = Catch TikTok As the US Congress begins to ban China’s ByteDance short-form (short video) platform, ‘TikTok’, a song praising North Korea’s Kim Jong-un is becoming increasingly popular on TikTok.

From the 6th, North Korea’s Kim Jong-un’s praise song ‘Friendly Father’ posted on TikTok received millions of ‘likes’. This song was posted on the North Korean TikTok account on the 22nd of last month. Experts analyzed that many TikTok users may be enjoying this song without knowing its dangers. It’s just that I was captivated by the cheerful and addictive melody.

TikTok users who heard the song left comments like, “It’s like the final scene of a movie where people from the whole neighborhood form a circle and sing together.”

Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that this song has already become a ‘hit song’ in North Korea and a ‘meme’ in Western countries. At the same time, he warned, “The catchy tune was designed to be easy to sing,” and “The fact that it’s easy to repeat allows ideological messages to be spread to the public.”

Meanwhile, TikTok is at risk of being kicked out of the US for security reasons. US politicians recently passed the ‘TikTok Forced Sales Act’, which could lead to a ‘ban on the use of TikTok’.

The TikTok-related law, which came into effect after being signed by the president last month, states that TikTok’s business rights in the United States are being sold to TikTok’s parent company, Chinese company ByteDance , within 270 days (the president can extend 90 days). sold within the period, the service in the United States will be terminated. A survey found that half of the American people support this bill. This is because the Chinese government is worried that it could influence American public opinion. According to a poll of adults conducted by Reuters and Ipsos last month, 50% of respondents supported a ban on TikTok. Those who opposed it were 32%.

Meanwhile, the presidential campaign of President Joe Biden, who will face a rematch with former President Trump in the November presidential election, claims that he will continue to use TikTok accounts despite the legalization of forced sales of TikTok. Biden’s presidential campaign opened a TikTok account in February to target young voters.

Seulgi Lee, Hankyung.com reporter seulkee@hankyung.com

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