After LINE stopped working in China and was followed closely by KakaoTalk, it was apparent that something was amiss, and China informed Korea of the block today, citing its reasoning for blocking these apps as a way to avoid confusing the general public.
It’s not clear what the confusion would be all about seeing as how LINE and KakaoTalk have been able to stand apart from WeChat up to now without any problems in China and other countries around the world. Interestingly, it’s also just the Asian apps that were blocked, while WhatsApp and others have continued to work.
Some industry sources say the block was an attempt to control information leading up to the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre.
The good news is that China has said the services would be restored “soon,” but it also makes its reasoning for going through with the block in the first place all the more flimsy.
Until the block is lifted and LINE and KakaoTalk are restored to their former working glory, users are limited to using WeChat and any other messaging apps that still work.