Internet in North Korea - review, features, interesting facts and reviews

In many countries the Internet is limited, in some it is either not at all, or people are so poor that they do not even know about its existence. But what's wrong with North Korea, a country that is actively developing nuclear technologies (which implies great technical progress), but has great limitations? The Internet is in North Korea, but it is so limited that by our standards we can assume that it simply does not exist. And it is accessible to people's units. So why is the Internet in North Korea banned? We will try to answer this question in as much detail as possible.

Is there Internet in North Korea?

Of course there is. But, unlike most countries, here it is a governmental tool for propaganda. Its only purpose is to serve the interests of the authorities, and not to provide access to the Network to citizens. The latter do not have access to it, and if they have, it is extremely limited. Most of the information about events in the world is taken from newspapers or television.

However, if you believe the statements of experts studying the problems of this closed state, recently there has been a small opening of the "Iron Curtain". To some extent, this can affect the Internet in North Korea.

At the moment it is difficult to say how many North Koreans have access to the Web. However, in 2013, 1200 IP-addresses were registered, which went to the Network from North Korea. Officially, the government allows access to the Network to party leaders, embassies of other countries, universities, advocates and foreign economic activists. Also, some people from the circle of leader Kim Jong-un also have access to the Web. This is the case with the World Wide Web, but ordinary people do not have access to it. But they can use Kwanmen - the Internet of North Korea inside the country. This network does not go beyond the "digital boundaries" of the state.

"Kwammen"

North Korean authorities solved the problem of access to the Web and information radically - they simply "chopped off" the Internet in general across the country. In return, an internal network was created, which was called Kwangman. This network is available to those few citizens who have computers, but most simply do not have them because of the very high cost of such equipment.

This "analog" can only remotely resemble a classic network. Yes, there are chats, forums, entertainment sites (there are about two or three dozen), but even there is no freedom and does not smell. According to experts in North Korea, all information in "Kvanmena" is read and analyzed by censors. All means everything, without exception.

How does their network work?

Does this mean that North Korea has been banned from the Internet? Partly yes, because the presence of an internal network, albeit throughout the country, is not at all an endless information space that we are familiar with. In North Korea there is even a special institution - Korean Computer Center. The task of this center is to download the "fresh" extracted from the real Internet into the network. This center has a list of valid sites, from where they take content and upload to "Quantum."

The citizens themselves understand that there are computers and a certain network. They know that there you can click on the mouse and see some interesting things, but nothing more. Most of the sites in "Kvanmena" are sites of educational institutions or enterprises. But recently the network is developing, and sites appear in English and even Russian.

Censorship on the Internet

Note that the Computer Information Center plays a key role in the development of this network. It is he who downloads the data into Kwangman at the request of various institutions. However, the content offered to users is preceded by a very strict censorship check.

If we draw a modern analogy, then "Quantum" is more like an electronic library, where the user can not do almost anything. However, it is possible to download books that are necessarily checked for censorship by "supervisors", and read them on Samjiyon tablets. These plates for North Korea specifically produces China. There are also news sites on the Korean Web that are more likely to propagate communism. Some publish articles about science. There is even a search system and commerce that allows you to run your business. Chats and emails are attached - there you can communicate with each other and exchange songs.

Software

Given the fact that the DPRK is a very poor country with an average worker's salary of $ 4, meeting a computer is a rarity. But residents with their PCs also exist, although they are few. The computers use the operating system Red Star OS, which is the shell of the popular free Linux. The latest version of this OS resembles the Mac OS. Access to the Internet in North Korea is through the Mozilla Firefox browser, which has its name - "Nenara". There is a mail system, a text editor and even some games.

Access to the real big internet

As you already understood, most of the inhabitants of the DPRK have access only to copies of sites that have been censored, and are always located within its Kwannen network. And most citizens do not have computers at all, but access is available from scientific laboratories, institutes, Internet cafes. And to buy your computer is very difficult, because the import of technology from abroad is prohibited (there can be jailed even for a DVD with harmless South Korean serials), and the state company "Morning Panda" is engaged in the production of its own PCs, but it produces only 2,000 copies in year.

But even so, the Internet in North Korea is through a cable stretching from Pyongyang to China. About two thousand people throughout the country have access to it. In fact, China is a big firewall for Korea, from which many restrictions and prohibitions follow. And access to it is only by state high-ranking officials and a narrow circle of specialists who need it for work. According to users, the speed of this Internet is very slow, and connect to it through banned computers, including American company Apple. The entire 25-millionth country has 1024 IP-addresses.

Internet for authorities

Considering the above, the statement that North Korea lives without the Internet is completely untrue. He is, but with huge restrictions for citizens. But the authorities can use it "in full". In particular, for propaganda. As soon as Kim Jong-un came to power, the presence of this state on the Internet grew. In social networks, a video about how well the inhabitants of the DPRK live is actively disseminated.

Also there is a theory (or is it a fact?) That the DPRK is using the Web to commit cyber attacks. It is believed that North Korean hackers are responsible for hacking Sony. In general, the Internet creates a high status for the North Korean elite.

How do citizens "extract" the Internet in North Korea?

It is quite understandable the reluctance of the authorities to open the Internet for citizens of their country. Just the information that users can find there, contradicts their propaganda. However, for survival, sooner or later have to open.

If China has a "Great Internet Wall," which blocks websites banned in China, the DPRK has its analogue, which is commonly referred to as the "mosquito net", which gives access only to basic information.

As it turned out, the special services of the DPRK are very difficult to track mobile phones. And although they have an official mobile network that does not allow citizens to make calls abroad and go online, the North Koreans have found a different way. They increasingly began to buy Chinese phones, which are imported into the country illegally. These devices can operate in a 10-kilometer zone from the Chinese border. However, North Koreans understand that it is very dangerous to have and even more to use such a phone.

Development of the information environment in the DPRK

Nat Kretchan, a North Korean researcher, published a report on the developing information environment of this country. From a report based on an interview of 420 escaped citizens, it is clear that using such phones is a serious crime. Also, government special services have equipment to track calls, so use this mobile phone in a densely populated place and very quickly.

Many observers note that the country's leader Kim Jong-un is well versed in information technology and is trying to use them in his own way, that is, to put them at the service of his citizens. Of course, these technologies are developing very slowly in the DPRK, which can be explained by the complete isolation of this country, but every step in this direction gives the North Koreans the opportunity to receive truthful information. This sooner or later can lead to the fall of the regime in such a closed country. But while North Korea remains without the Internet, there is nothing to worry about. However, it can not remain so long. After all, many citizens illegally get access to the Network and mobile communications for making forbidden calls abroad. Many successfully run.

Conclusion

Many people are trying to understand why North Korea does not have the Internet, because the Network itself poses no serious danger. In fact, for the DPRK regime - this is a real and terrible threat. After all, the authorities for decades propagandize communism and all the delights of the regime, they cynically lie about the most beautiful life in the country compared to other countries, their media broadcast the news that the DPRK national football team won the world championship by beating South Korea with a devastating score etc. And if every citizen gets access to the Internet in North Korea, he will immediately be able to reveal the lies of his government, and this clearly will not benefit the regime.

But so far, the DPRK authorities have been able to restrain the curiosity of citizens, and those especially do not try to use forbidden technologies. But sooner or later it will be necessary to open up, because a closed country, although it can exist in this form, but actively develop - no.