N. Korea state TV offers live stream on Facebook

North Korea's state broadcaster has begun providing live streams of selected programming, including news bulletins, on its official Facebook page.

The move marks a further step by the reclusive state to develop its Internet presence and use of social networks to disseminate state-approved propaganda.

Thursday's Korean Central Television (KCTV) live stream began at 5:00 pm (0800 GMT) with a news broadcast that led with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un visiting a mushroom farm.

North Korea's main Internet presence is through its Uriminzokkiri website, which has Twitter and Flickr feeds and is best known for posting propaganda videos excoriating South Korea and the United States.

South Korea blocks broadcasts from the North and bars its nationals from accessing official North Korean Internet sites, saying the material violates its national security law.

According to the Yonhap news agency, the National Police Agency said it had formally asked the Korea Communication Standard Commission to block the KCTV live feed at www.facebook.com/KoreanCentralTV.

"The site will be classified as being off limits because of materials that conflict with national interest," Yonhap quoted one officer as saying.

North Korea has a domestic Intranet service with a very limited number of users. Analysts say access to the Internet is for the super-elite only, meaning a few hundred people or maybe 1,000 at most.