In India, you can easily access the internet with a few rupees. The same story unfolds in other parts of the world, where internet access ranges from inexpensive to more costly. However, in some places, internet access is reserved for a select few. We are talking about North Korea, where only a few thousand people have internet access.
Globally, the internet, smartphones, and AI have taken the world by storm, yet North Koreans remain isolated from this digital revolution. As reported by WIRED in 2023, North Korea's internet access is stifled by extreme censorship, making external information nearly impossible to obtain.
Only a few thousand individuals in North Korea have access to the global internet. Others are limited to a domestic intranet called Kwangmyong, a government-controlled network providing heavily censored information.
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From education to news, everything is distributed under stringent government control. Communications are severely limited, with heavy surveillance on this intranet. The government keeps a close eye on all online activities.
Source: aajtak
The government monitors even Kwangmyong to prevent exposure to external information, maintaining its ideological control.
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Reports suggest that obtaining internet access in North Korea is challenging and time-consuming, taking an entire day. Once granted access, a person sits with the user, overseeing their browsing activities and granting permission every 5 minutes.
The overseer uses fingerprint verification to allow internet access every 5 minutes. Special permission is required for any usage beyond an hour, a process that can take up to two days.
In recent years, smartphone adoption in North Korea has increased, enabling easier connections among people. However, these devices are also under government surveillance. They send screenshots to the government, capturing users’ activities for review.
These phones only grant access to government-approved content. Acquiring app access involves considerable effort. In North Korea, an individual's social life and even fashion are under scrutiny. Imagining the daily life of North Koreans is a sobering task.
