Internet in North Korea: a hundred sites and a death sentence for the “Squid Game”

Active digitalization in the last decade has not spared even such a closed country as North Korea. Computer technology, internal networks and even the Internet began to spread here. However, all this happens subject to strict control by the state, a number of restrictions and the existing legislation of the DPRK. For example, you can go online only with special permission and under the supervision of an observer. And most importantly — the list of resources that can be visited is very limited, because residents of the country should not know anything about life abroad other than what official sources say.

Internet in North Korea: hundreds of sites and a death sentence for the “Squid Game”. In North Korea, citizens are prohibited from accessing the Internet. Photo source: gazeta.ru. Photo.

In North Korea, citizens are prohibited from accessing the Internet. Photo source: gazeta.ru

Contents

  • 1 How North Koreans access the Internet
  • 2 Mobile phones in North Korea
  • 3 What websites exist in North Korea
  • 4 Gwangmyeon Intranet for everyone
  • 5 Foreign content and the death penalty for the “Squid Game”

How North Koreans access the Internet

DPRK is truly the most closed country in the world, making it almost impossible to get an accurate and clear picture of how the 26 million people live here. All information about life in North Korea is based on the stories of defectors and tourists who visited it.

According to open sources, only a few thousand privileged members of society have free access to the Internet and even the ability to connect their phones to a 3G network. In addition, Internet access is provided to tourists, but they do not have access to the DPRK internal network, which we will talk about later.

Other North Korean residents do not have access to the World Wide Web. For example, according to the organization People for the Successful Reunification of Korea (Pscore), in order to access the Internet, you must obtain the appropriate permission, which is signed by several officials at once. This procedure can take a lot of time – a person needs to confirm his identity, status, and also give an explanation of why he needs the Internet. The application review procedure can last up to a year.

How North Koreans access the Internet. You can use the Internet in the DPRK only with special permission and under the supervision of the relevant authorities. Photo source: habr.com. Photo.

You can use the Internet in the DPRK only with special permission and under the supervision of the relevant authorities. Photo source: habr.com

Only certain institutions in Pyongyang, such as large libraries and universities, are connected to the World Wide Web. During the session, there is always an observer and a state security representative next to the user, who monitor his actions. In addition, every 5 minutes the screen freezes and the observer logs in.

In addition, every step must be coordinated with the observer so that the person does not accidentally access an “enemy” resource. As a rule, the Internet only allows access to databases, such as scientific articles, recipes, etc. At the same time, all actions that the user performs on the network are recorded by special software.

Therefore, local residents do not even know about the existence of Google, YouTube or, for example, FaceBook. By the way, universities teach the basics of using the Internet, but students receive knowledge only in theory, and even take an exam on it.

How North Koreans access the Internet. Smartphones have reached the DPRK. Photo source: habr.com. Photo.

Smartphones have reached the DPRK. Photo source: habr.com

Mobile phones in the DPRK

The number of smartphones among North Korean residents has begun to increase, but they are not able to connect to a 3G network. The data transfer speed is deliberately limited, and the devices themselves take screenshots every few minutes. The operating system of these devices allows you to view only government-approved content. At first glance it seems wild, but it’s better than nothing at all.

The phones themselves only allow you to make internal calls and exchange messages. But users can access the Gwangmyeon internal network. By the way, it is developing and expanding even more actively than the North Korean Internet. In general, officials control the entire flow of data and make sure that people receive only official information approved by the state.

What websites exist in North Korea

Just a few years ago, the list of North Korean sites consisted of only two to three dozen resources. Currently there are more than a hundred of them. Among them there are sites with weather, culinary recipes, news agencies, etc. However, all of them are exclusively state-owned.

What sites exist in North Korea. Many sites in the DPRK have a Russian version. Photo.

Many sites in the DPRK have a Russian version

All sites have a version not only in Korean, but also in English, such as this news portal. Many sites also offer content in Russian, such as the official website with state news. The peculiarity of all these resources is that they do not contain any information about the world outside the DPRK, as if it does not exist at all.

Despite all these measures, the owner of the computer does not have the right to delete anything in it, and the operating system periodically makes backups. Therefore, the state can always check what the user is doing.

Kwangmyong Intranet for Everyone

While free access is only available to elites close to the family of the country's leader, other North Korean citizens can access the Kwangmyong intranet. You can access this network from computers and phones. The network provides access to government information portals and other services. For example, you can even watch a movie or turn on cartoons for your child.

According to some reports, the network even contains dating services, message boards and online games. True, this is not easy to verify, since tourists, as mentioned above, do not have access to the internal network of North Korea. There are no social networks on the intranet, but you can exchange letters by e-mail.

Gwangmyeon intranet for everyone. This is what the desktop looks like on a computer with a North Korean operating system. Photo source: habr.com. Photo.

This is what the desktop looks like on a computer with a North Korean operating system. Photo source: habr.com

There is also information that network users have recently been able to make online purchases, and even special applications have appeared on their phones. Such services are especially popular among young people. You can receive goods purchased in a set within a week even outside of Pyongyang.

Of course, all online trading platforms are also state-owned. Moreover, purchases there can usually only be made for foreign currency — dollars or yuan. Therefore, they are beneficial to the government, since they allow them to collect currency from the population.

Foreign content and the death penalty for the “Squid Game”

As you can see, despite digitalization, the country's government has taken all necessary measures to ensure that North Korea remains as closed as before. However, some people still find a way to access foreign content.

Foreign content and the death penalty for the “Squid Game”. Despite all the restrictions, people still find a way to access prohibited content. Photo source: habr.com. Photo.

Despite all the restrictions, people still find a way to access prohibited content. Photo source: habr.com

In recent years, recordings of South Korean TV shows, series, and other content on discs and flash drives have increasingly been smuggled into the DPRK. Smuggling is thriving despite the harsh law, according to which a smuggler can receive serious punishment, including the death penalty. For example, in 2021, information appeared that a person who brought the series “The Squid Game” to North Korea was sentenced to death. In addition, punishment awaits those who watch prohibited content.

However, most defectors claim that they decided to escape from the DPRK after watching foreign content. It remains popular despite any bans.

Foreign content and the death penalty for the “Squid Game”. Computer technology is actively developing in the DPRK, but this does not make the country any less closed. Photo source: habr.com. Photo.

Computer technology is actively developing in the DPRK, but this does not make the country any less closed. Photo source: habr.com

Finally, we note that recently in North Korea they are actively trying to teach young people how to work with computers and programming. Computer education is being introduced even in schools, although mainly in elite ones.

Be sure to visit our Zen and Telegram channels, here you will find the most interesting news from the world of science and the latest discoveries!

Computers, like cars in North Korea, remain an expensive pleasure. There is even a trend among local youth — use flash drives as a keychain. The logic is simple — if there is a flash drive, then there is a computer, which indicates a person’s wealth.


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