Kim Jong-un 'pig' nickname unblocked from Chinese search engine

There is speculation the change in policy could be a reflection of China’s disapproval of North Korea’s weapon program

Baidu now allows users to search for Kim Jong-Un's 'pig' nickname (AP/Maye-E Wong)

Beijing now allows users to search for "Kim the third-generation pig" on the internet, a title previously blocked on Chinese search engine Baidu.

Apparently users were able to search the term on Wednesday morning, after previously being offered no results – instead showing a message informing them it did not conform to regulations and policy, Korea Times reports.

There has been speculation the move could be a response to North Korea's military actions, as China joined the UN’s sanctions on the country following recent claims they have been testing hydrogen weapons and plan to extend their nuclear capabilities.

According to China Internet Watch, Baidu dominates the country’s search engine market with a 70 per cent share.

The North Korean leader's nickname was previously one of many search terms banned in China on political grounds.

Some of the more widely known examples include democracy, human rights, dictatorship, oppression and genocide.

However, political nicknames have also featured quite highly. Weibo – often described as the country’s Facebook – banned the word 'toad' as it became a nickname for the country’s former president Jiang Zemin, International Business Times says.

Another example they cited is the removal of the phrase "Wen Shen", which means the "god of plague", as it was used to refer to former premier Wen Jiabao.

Earlier this year another search engine, this time Google, found itself on the receiving end of speculation it had censored Conservative search results in response to a generous tax deal from the UK government.

In February, the search engine was accused of returning no autocomplete results for 'Conservatives' or 'Tory', while giving plenty of negative suggestions when searching ‘Labour’ or ‘Lib Dems’.