El Reg protests North Korean internet domain

Nuts to KP

By Cade Metz in San Francisco • Get more from this author

Posted in Bootnotes, 21st August 2007 02:38 GMT

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The Register isn't too happy about last week's news that North Korea is poised to register its own Internet domain.

No, we don't have a problem with the communist stronghold joining our nothing-less-than-capitalistic worldwide party, first reported by The Associated Press. But we do take issue with its choice of domain name.

Do they not speak in English in North Korea? Clearly, the country’s domain name should be “NK” – not “KP.”

KP is a British peanut company - at best. At worst, it's an American healthcare conglomerate. It is by no means proper material for an internet domain name.

Can you imagine even a single ".kp" address that rolls off the tongue? We didn't think so. Meanwhile, ".nk" is conducive to all sorts of eminently-attractive web monikers. There's "bli.nk", "cli.nk", and "icehockeyri.nk". Not to mention "fu.nk", "bu.nk", and "blinddru.nk". Better yet, there's "wa.nk." Or "gohomeya.nk". Which would go down particularly well in North Korea.

The Reg is not alone in its unmitigated disgust for the latest international outrage perpetrated by Chairman Kim Jong-il. Peter Doherty and Kate Moss have already posted a protest song. ®

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