Liberal groups on Monday expressed concern over a South Korean flash video game called “Spot the Spy”, which reportedly asks gamers to “keep a close watch” on suspected spies and North Korean sympathizers.
The spy game, hosted by the National Intelligence Service, was created to mark the Korean War anniversary. The game, which runs on its official website (www.nis111.co.kr), will be available online from June 22 to July 21.
Game mechanics were simple, gamers were asked to pick out spies, North Korean sympathizers, and communist supporters.
An NIS spokesman said that the game was created to promote “public awareness” on national security. It was also designed to remind people, specially the youth, around the world about their country and its “better half”.
Some 200 lucky gamers will receive prizes ranging from digital cameras, game consoles, to laptops. Also, the spokesperson said that top bloggers who will link the Spy Game to their personal blogs will also win top-of-the-line watches.
Asked for comment on the liberal groups’ accusations, the NIS spokesperson refused to comment, stressing that the spy game has nothing to do with pro-unification activists.
Liberal groups fears that the spy game might create a perception that these pro-unification activists will be considered as potential spies by the gamers.
During the first stages of the game, gamers will be challenged to identity the spy or any suspicious-looking characters in a park full of people. One of which was a character holding signage with “Love Kim Il-Sung” printed on it.
The said game also encouraged players to report suspicious characters who usually leave establishments such as Internet cafes after sending or posting articles that incite anti-US or anti-government movements.
Another part of the game is indentifying sensitive military photographs of industrial, military, and people during demonstrations.
A SKorean newspapers over the weekend reported that NIS was only trying to be “hip” and “humorous” with the spy game, saying that the game’s computer generated images are far too funny to be incited as a tool to identify the people against the government.
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