A photo containing a screen-shot of yesterday’s CCTV news program reporting South Korea’s failed rocket launch has been circulating on the Net.
On the TV screen, one can see two characters “高兴” (gāo xìng: glad; happy; pleased; elated; joyful; cheerful) in the position reserved for the location where the news took place. Coming in the midst of an anti-Korean “cyber-jihad” triggered by a stampede at the Shanghai Expo, some nationalists netizens believe that this is a sign that the state media has also taken a side.
It seems they are wrong: “高兴” is really a place name (Goheung County). According to Wikipedia:
The Naro Space Center was completed during 2008 in southern Goheung and is operated by the state-run Korea Aerospace Research Institute. The space center includes a launch pad, a control tower, rocket assembly and test facilities, facilities for satellite control testing and assembly, a media center, an electric power station, a space experience hall (visitor center) and a landing field.
- Dangdang (Chinese): CCAV joined the jihad!
- Global Voices Online: Ongoing online ‘jihad’ against Korean pop fans
- ESWN: Jihad overview, battlefield report of successful hacks against Korean websites and Baidu