Internet in North Korea

Internet in North Korea

North Korea is almost completely isolated from the rest of the world and, while there is a public telephone network, there is no broadband data network. Satellite Internet coverage from BGAN and Thuraya is available, offering download speeds up to 492 kbit/s and upload speeds of 400 kbit/s; however it would be extremely difficult to smuggle a satellite terminal into the country. The one Internet cafe in Pyongyang uses a satellite Internet connection, as do some of the more upmarket hotels.

According to one report, as recently as 2009 many North Koreans had never heard of the Internet[1], although a few of the government elite are connected to the Internet via a link to China.[2] Kim Jong-il himself is said to love "surfing the net".[3]

Contents

History

In 1996, the Central Information Agency for Science and Technology (CIAST) of the National Academy of Sciences was authorized to act as the nation’s Internet Service Provider (ISP) and stood up a countrywide intranet network called “Kwangmyong” (also known as “Kwangmyong Technology Service Station”) connecting all government institutions at the national, provincial, and county levels with industrial factories, banks, transportation units, agricultural cooperatives, institutions of art and culture, S&T and educational institutions, trading companies, and a handful of foreign joint investment ventures.[4]

North Korean Internet Number Resources

Most official North Korean internet resources are hosted outside North Korea, but since sometime October 2010 a host that seems to be hosted inside North Korea is accessible from outside. At the URI http://175.45.176.14/ you can access an English and a Spanish edition of Korean Central News Agency. The IP address is a part of a /24 netblock, registered by a North Korean company called Star Joint Venture, 2009-12-21. The prefix is announced by AS131279 (which is notably a four byte ASN).

North Korean websites

There are about 30 websites, such as North Korean June 15th Editions (Chosongul: 조선륙일오편집사) and www.kcckp.net/en,[dead link] run by the DPRK government.[5] South Korean police have identified 43 pro-North Korean websites that have foreign-based servers. The police report that these websites encourage hostile attitudes towards South Korea and western countries, and portray the DPRK in a positive light. According to The Dong-a Ilbo, foreign-based websites include the following: Joseon Tongsin (Korean Central News Agency) and Guk-jeonseon (meaning "channels between nations") in Japan, Unification Arirang (Arirang is a traditional Korean folk song) in China, Minjok Tongsin ("Minjok" means "nation, ethnic group") in the U.S., and twelve new pro-North Korean websites have launched, including the "Korea Network".[6]

In September 2007 the .kp top-level domain was created. It contains websites connected to North Korean government.

Commercial websites

In 2002, North Koreans, in collaboration with a South Korean company, started a gambling site targeting South Korean customers (online gambling being illegal in South Korea), but the site has since been closed down.[3]

In late 2007, North Korea launched its first online shop, Chollima, in a joint venture with an unnamed Chinese company.[7]

Air Koryo has an official Facebook page. It is noticed for its rather friendlier non-political approach compare to other North Korean websites.[8]

South Korean Internet regulations

South Korean Internet users must comply with Trade Laws With North Korea (Article 9 Section 2) in which one needs to have the Ministry of Unification's approval to contact North Koreans through their websites.[9]

North Korean Internet activities

In August 2010, BBC News reported that an agency contracted by The North Korean government has opened official NK Youtube, Facebook[10] and Twitter accounts, named 'uriminzok' ('our people') or 'uriminzokkiri'. The advertised Facebook page is currently a dead link. Both the Twitter and Youtube accounts are solely in Korean. The BBC reported "In a recent Twitter post, the North Koreans said the current administration in South Korea was "a prostitute" of the US"[11], though this wording may be a poor translation into English. Among some of the content on the official website is an image of a US Soldier being followed by two missiles, along with various other cartoons, pictures and text, with largely anti-US and anti-South Korean sentiment.[12]

A group of North Korean hackers based in Shenyang, China, developed and sold auto-programs for an online game Lineage and a South Korea citizen was arrested in May 2011 for purchasing it.[13]

As of 2011, there has been a growing IT industry in North Korea.[14]

The North Korean government trains computer hackers in Kim Chaek University of Technology and Kim Il-sung University to earn money overseas.[15]

See also

References

  1. ^ http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/07/12/100712fa_fact_demick. Demick, Barbara. "NOTHING LEFT Is North Korea finally facing collapse?" The New Yorker, July 12, 2010. P. 45: "At school, there were three computers, but they were never turned on...She had never heard of the Internet."
  2. ^ Zeller Jr, Tom (October 23, 2006). "LINK BY LINK; The Internet Black Hole That Is North Korea". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CEEDF173FF930A15753C1A9609C8B63&n=Top%2FReference%2FTimes%20Topics%2FPeople%2FK%2FKim%20Jong%20Il. Retrieved May 5, 2010. 
  3. ^ a b Andrei Lankov (11-12-2007). "Surfing Net in North Korea". Korea Times. http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/opinon/2009/02/166_13540.html. 
  4. ^ Prior to becoming the national Intranet, the Kwangmyong’s content was limited to science and technology databases with over 30 million scientific documents posted on the network.
  5. ^ "North Korea's baby steps for the Internet". PhysOrg.com (United Press International). 2005-08-30. http://www.physorg.com/news6109.html. 
  6. ^ Yoon, Jong-Koo (2004-09-08). "Police Announce 43 Active Pro-North Korean Websites". The Dong-a Ilbo. http://english.donga.com/srv/service.php3?biid=2004090935168. 
  7. ^ Kelly Olson, "Elusive Web Site Offers N. Korean Goods", WTOPnews.com, February 4, 2008. Retrieved on April 27, 2008.
  8. ^ Cho (조), Min-jeong (민정) (2011-08-28). "`쌍방향 소통' 北고려항공 페이스북 각광" (in Korean). Yonhap News. http://www.yonhapnews.co.kr/bulletin/2011/08/26/0200000000AKR20110826163300014.HTML. Retrieved 2011-09-10. 
  9. ^ Choe, Cheol (2010-04-08). "北 인터넷사이트에 '댓글' 달면 어떻게 될까 (What Happens If You Post 'Reply' On North Korean Website)" (in Korean). No Cut News. http://www.cbs.co.kr/nocut/show.asp?idx=1441260. Retrieved 2010-04-14. 
  10. ^ 《우리민족끼리》홈페지
  11. ^ "North Korea creates Twitter and YouTube presence". BBC News. 2010-08-18. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-11007825. 
  12. ^ 《우리민족끼리》홈페지
  13. ^ Bae (배), Hye-rim (혜림) (2011-05-06). "北해커부대, '게임머니'S/W 팔아 외화벌이" (in Korean). Money Today. http://news.mt.co.kr/mtview.php?no=2011050611242179104. Retrieved 2011-05-06. 
  14. ^ Lee, Jean H. (2011-07-25). "North Korea's 'Digital Revolution' Under Way". AP. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/25/digital-revolution-north-korea_n_908368.html. Retrieved 2011-08-08. 
  15. ^ Lee (이), Dae-hui (대희) (2011-08-05). "北 '엘리트 해커' 사이버 외화벌이" (in Korean). Nocut News. http://www.nocutnews.co.kr/show.asp?idx=1879564. Retrieved 2011-08-21. 

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