Feb 03 2008
Dumb, Dumb, Dumb
I have no idea why the Associated Press is doing this, but this is probably the single stupidest thing they have done recently. They are advertising a North Korean website that supposedly offers goods for sale. They even provide a link. What are they thinking? Sure, there's a trade embargo against the country, so that's bad enough. But why not just click through and get your identity stolen. This is criminal. No, I am not going to link it.
SEOUL, South Korea - Fancy a sleek made-in-North Korea SUV? How about a pair of boxing gloves from the famously pugnacious communist country? They're potentially just a click away.
North Korea, known more for nuclear saber-rattling than its consumer products, is offering overseas shoppers the chance to buy hundreds of its goods via the Internet.
Those who keep a close eye on North Korea say the move is likely a bid by the perpetually impoverished country to earn cash and also raise awareness about what it has to offer.
The Web site — available Korean, English, Chinese, Russian and Japanese — also sells bicycles, commemorative stamps, roller skates and uniforms for Taekwondo, a Korean martial art. It includes a shopping cart icon and says credit cards are acceptable.
And they'll be quite happy to get their hands on your credit card information. This is a country that has been producing counterfeit currency for years - and the AP is pimping their websites?
Totally insane.
