Asian Games: N. Korea reporters resort to filing stories using fax

INCHEON, South Korea - North Korea's reporters at the Asian Games will have to file stories using fax because their web access is restricted in South Korea, a report said Tuesday.

Seoul's Ministry of Unification told the Korea Times that North Korean media would not get special access to their country's websites, which are blocked in South Korea.

This means that fax machines are being dusted off and whirring into action as the Games get underway this week.

"It's common knowledge that North Korean websites are not accessible in the South," a ministry official was quoted as saying.

"We've notified the North about the situation and they are aware of it.

"We agreed on the fax machine as the system for the North Korean reporters to deliver their articles. As far as I know, the North delegation hasn't officially requested a change."

Members of North Korea's tightly controlled media, easily recognisable at the Asian Games by their team tracksuits, are among a large delegation which has crossed the Korean border.

On Tuesday, North Korea's official Rodong Sinmun newspaper carried a four-page story on their 3-0 football win over China - without mentioning where the Asia Games are being held.

Separately, an organising committee official told the Korea Times that the North Koreans had asked for wifi in their accommodation - a rare privilege in the reclusive state.