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03-29-2018, 09:54 AM
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/‘the-fatty-on-the-train’-kim-jong-un-nicknames-proliferate-in-china-despite-censors/ar-AAveyFL?ocid=spartanntp
‘The fatty on the train’: Kim Jong Un nicknames proliferate in China despite censors
Censorship is a lot harder in China than it used to be due to social media. But that didn’t stop the Chinese government from trying to keep secret the historic visit to Beijing by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Officials did it in part by scrubbing from the country’s Internet Chinese characters for “Kim Jong Un,” “North Korea” and Kim’s popular nicknames among Chinese, such as “Fatty Fatty,” Business Insider reported.
But Chinese users know how to skirt bans. They just came up with new nicknames, according to Reuters.
Some, such as “the fatty on the train” and “the obese patient,” were a play on the banned words. Others were more tactful, referring to the leader as “the visitor from the northeast” and “the sibling next door,” Reuters reported.
News related to North Korea on WeChat, a popular Chinese messaging and social media app, was also censored, according to Reuters. No articles about the visit appeared on prominent public accounts that cover China-North Korea news.
“They have been deleting North Korea-related articles for the past few days. It’s been very hard for us to post on our public account,” a Chinese person who edits an online account about North Korea told Reuters.
Reuters also reported that state media outlets were banned from covering news about North Korea.
After the visit concluded this week, search results for Kim’s name and North Korea reappeared on the Chinese Internet. Chinese and North Korean state media also confirmed Wednesday that the leader and his wife, Ri Sol Ju, had been in the country for an “unofficial” visit at the invitation of the Chinese President Xi Jinping, The Washington Post’s Emily Rauhala reported.
The censorship was an attempt to quell speculation about the visit and keep curious Chinese netizens in the dark, according to Business Insider.
A current list of top 10 blocked terms on Weibo, a microblogging site, included multiple terms related to the North Korean leader, according to freeweibo.com, a website that tracks censorship.
Other popular Chinese nicknames for Kim such as “Fatty the third” and “Fatty Kim the third” also occupied spots on the list.
This is not the first time the Chinese government has attempted scrub Kim’s nicknames.
Back in 2016, China temporarily banned terms like “Kim the Fat,” “Kim Fat III” and “Kim Fatty III,” Business Insider reported.
It appears the ban was a result of North Korean officials asking China to “stamp out the abuse,” according to the BBC.
‘The fatty on the train’: Kim Jong Un nicknames proliferate in China despite censors
Censorship is a lot harder in China than it used to be due to social media. But that didn’t stop the Chinese government from trying to keep secret the historic visit to Beijing by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Officials did it in part by scrubbing from the country’s Internet Chinese characters for “Kim Jong Un,” “North Korea” and Kim’s popular nicknames among Chinese, such as “Fatty Fatty,” Business Insider reported.
But Chinese users know how to skirt bans. They just came up with new nicknames, according to Reuters.
Some, such as “the fatty on the train” and “the obese patient,” were a play on the banned words. Others were more tactful, referring to the leader as “the visitor from the northeast” and “the sibling next door,” Reuters reported.
News related to North Korea on WeChat, a popular Chinese messaging and social media app, was also censored, according to Reuters. No articles about the visit appeared on prominent public accounts that cover China-North Korea news.
“They have been deleting North Korea-related articles for the past few days. It’s been very hard for us to post on our public account,” a Chinese person who edits an online account about North Korea told Reuters.
Reuters also reported that state media outlets were banned from covering news about North Korea.
After the visit concluded this week, search results for Kim’s name and North Korea reappeared on the Chinese Internet. Chinese and North Korean state media also confirmed Wednesday that the leader and his wife, Ri Sol Ju, had been in the country for an “unofficial” visit at the invitation of the Chinese President Xi Jinping, The Washington Post’s Emily Rauhala reported.
The censorship was an attempt to quell speculation about the visit and keep curious Chinese netizens in the dark, according to Business Insider.
A current list of top 10 blocked terms on Weibo, a microblogging site, included multiple terms related to the North Korean leader, according to freeweibo.com, a website that tracks censorship.
Other popular Chinese nicknames for Kim such as “Fatty the third” and “Fatty Kim the third” also occupied spots on the list.
This is not the first time the Chinese government has attempted scrub Kim’s nicknames.
Back in 2016, China temporarily banned terms like “Kim the Fat,” “Kim Fat III” and “Kim Fatty III,” Business Insider reported.
It appears the ban was a result of North Korean officials asking China to “stamp out the abuse,” according to the BBC.