North Korean propaganda websites that are blocked in the South can nonetheless be easily accessed here, a lawmaker complains. Grand National Party Rep. Chung Jin-suk, a member of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs, Trade and Unification Committee, on Monday said, "There are many ways to access North Korean websites if you install a specific program after a simple search using some portal sites." He warned sympathizers "are disseminating North Korean data and views by that method without going to the trouble of making contact with North Korean officials."

Chung promised to give a demonstration during a parliamentary audit of the Unification Ministry on Tuesday.

He gave a separate demonstration to the Chosun Ilbo, showing how it is possible to access the websites of North Korean organizations such as the Rodong Shinmun, the KCNA news agency, or the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan or Chongryon, without any problem. It was even possible to tune into North Korean radio or TV.

Kim Il Sung Broadcasting University's website and Internet lessons on the Juche, or self-reliance ideology are also easily accessed. Chung said Internet telephone conversations with anyone in North Korea are also easy.

He said the law "stipulates that access to pro-North Korean websites whose contents run counter to the National Security Law could be banned. Under these laws, access to about 50 [North Korean] websites has been banned by police and the Korea Communications Commission. But the reality shows that the ban is ineffective."

In 2003-2004, North Korea declared a plan to strengthen contact with South Korea through the Internet. As controversy heated up in South Korea, Seoul in November 2004 blocked major North Korean websites.

Authorities here told Chung it is technically impossible to completely ban access to specific websites. "But we keep trying to develop methods to make access more difficult," a statement said.