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145 points cwwc | 7 comments | | HN request time: 0s | source | bottom
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throwaway_ab ◴[] No.43618350[source]
A flagged post mentions this is racist and typical anti immigration rhetoric.

That's not true, there are only two types of North Korean people you'll meet, either those that have defected and escaped North Korea or those that are agents of the state of North Korea.

There are very few defectors in existence and once they escape they're given full South Korean citizenship. This article is not about those people.

The vast majority of North Koreans outside North Korea are not defectors, instead they are controlled state assets. There are no North Korean people outside the country that are free citizens. Every single North Korean authorised to leave the country is working directly for their government often to raise money for the regime, to steal IP, to infiltrate for some nefarious purpose.

Having one of these North Korean active assets in your company is extremely dangerous, your business is now at risk of leaks, theft, or worst something being modified like added vulnerabilities that could be exploited later in cyber attacks.

So no, this article is not racist at all and really has nothing to do with the recent political situation.

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tkel ◴[] No.43618407[source]
You're doing the racist rhetoric.

There's no one in north korea that isn't "an agent of the state"? Give me a break. You sound ridiculous.

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infecto ◴[] No.43618445[source]
Is it really racist? North Korea is the most tightly controlled country in the world. Seems too easy to just throw out the racist card when you did not refute or provide any counter point.

I am certain there are good people in North Korea but it would be hard to figure folks allegiances. A lifetime of propaganda can really do something to the mind.

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1. tkel ◴[] No.43618503[source]
"A lifetime of propaganda" about how NK is some nightmare land?

The evidentiary standard on reporting goes basically to zero if it's about NK. Outlandish claims are to be taken at face value and not interrogated, because of a "lifetime of propaganda" in the US, since the Korean War. Yes, that is linked with racism. The evidentiary standard in the media on other European countries for example is much much higher. For the most part, the racist narrative follows that places where white people are good and free, and places where non-white people are dangerous and bad. Classic racist rhetoric.

With regards to the specific points the article is making: "The FBI reported the money funds nuclear weapons and operations". Is a laughable fearmongering hypcrocrisy. part of Every tax dollar in the US goes towards funding nuclear weapons and operations. But good luck trying to get reporters at Fortune to be self-aware of their hypocrisy. That's the propaganda: bad when they do it. Good or neutral when we do it. Uncritical re-printing of statements from government agents (FBI). A reporter with an evidentiary standard would ask for evidence before printing that. Last I checked there was only one country that has actually used a nuclear weapon. Objectively, I would say that country is far more dangerous.

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2. infecto ◴[] No.43618619[source]
Oh hush. I have zero tolerance for conspiracies. Yes, every country has its own flavor of nationalism, pride or propaganda but let’s not confuse ourselves and try to sell NK as some misunderstood nation.
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3. x3n0ph3n3 ◴[] No.43618625[source]
Cool. Go hire some North Koreans to work at your company. Have fun with that.
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4. simonh ◴[] No.43618637[source]
So, which evidence are you questioning. That Harrison Leggio has identified many North Koreans posing as US citizens? His claim that other companies he is familiar with are finding the same thing?

Are you disputing the evidence from other specific named private citizens in companiess that are reporting this happening, such as Michael Barnhart and Jamie Collier of Google, Bojan Simic of Hypr and Emi Chiba at Gartner who are confirming they have experienced the same activity in their firms? How about the evidence from Aidan Raney, a private security researcher, who reports he personally infiltrated one of these scam operations?

Furthermore it’s not just unsubstantiated claims by US agencies, the article also refers to two successfully prosecuted court cases in which they had to present evidence to secure convictions.

Your criticisms are aimed at US reporting, but the United Nations reports the same thing.

5. tkel ◴[] No.43618641[source]
It's not hiring north koreans that's the issue. It's that doing so is worthy of writing hysterial articles full of unsubstantiated propaganda.
6. tkel ◴[] No.43618649[source]
Expecting journalists to have evidentiary integrity is now a conspiracy? I didn't say it was false, or that it was true. I'm saying that uncritically reprinting dramatized, political statements from government agents without evidence is propaganda. When they operate in this way, the media acts as a propaganda wing of the government.
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7. infecto ◴[] No.43618677{3}[source]
Come on. There’s a difference between questioning U.S. foreign policy and pretending North Korea is some misunderstood utopia. You’re right that propaganda exists in the West, but that doesn’t mean every criticism of the DPRK is racist or unexamined.

Calling out the regime’s control and the risk posed by state-backed cyber ops isn’t some “classic racist rhetoric”, it’s acknowledging reality. This is a country where you can be executed for watching the wrong movie. Pretending that’s morally equivalent to U.S. hypocrisy is lazy relativism.

Yes, the U.S. has done awful things. Yes, our media should be more critical. But no, I’m not going to pretend North Korean IT operatives raising money for a weapons program isn’t a serious issue just because the U.S. also has nukes. That’s not nuance, that’s deflection