How North Koreans access the real internet
Views (135)
While modern society has known North Korea for its isolationist policies, the so-called hermit kingdom is not completely cut off from the rest of the world. Perhaps still unbeknownst to some, the upper half of the Korean Peninsula does have internet — albeit only accessed by a few and one that looks much smaller from the World Wide Web we virtually live in. What North Korean internet looks like: To understand just how much North Koreans can possibly know about the world through a computer, it is important to distinguish the two online connections available to them.
While modern society has known North Korea for its isolationist policies, the so-called hermit kingdom is not completely cut off from the rest of the world. Perhaps still unbeknownst to some, the upper half of the Korean Peninsula does have internet — albeit only accessed by a few and one that looks much smaller from the World Wide Web we virtually live in.
How they gain access: Non-elites who require the internet for work or important affairs undergo an approval process, which reportedly takes several days. Researcher and defector Kim Suk-han — not their real name — said those approved are then manually surveilled.
Those approved can only use the internet for an hour and any extension will require another approval. A security officer is also stationed nearby.
Last year, a woman who called herself YuMi debuted on YouTube and began amassing thousands of subscribers for sharing glimpses of everyday life in Pyongyang, from exercising in a well-equipped indoor gym to visiting a lively amusement park. An 11-year-old girl named Song A also launched herself onto the platform, and once even flaunted her ownership of a “Harry Potter” book.
0 Likes