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A peek inside North Korea’s intranet
Not much is known about North Korea’s intranet — the Internet-like system that links up libraries, universities and other organizations throughout the country but goes no further than the country’s borders. Few foreigners get a chance to access it and delve into the websites and services it offers, but thanks to sharp-eyed Aram Pan and his DPRK360…
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At least two satellites ready to fly, scientists tell CNN
North Korea has at least two more satellites ready to fly “at any time,” two of the country’s space scientists have told CNN in an interesting interview conducted in Pyongyang. The interview builds on one given a month ago to The Associated Press during which one of the two National Aerospace Development Administration (NADA) officials said…
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Rodong Sinmun website gets a facelift
The design of the website of North Korea’s main daily newspaper, the Rodong Sinmun, was refreshed on Monday. The new site has fewer pictures on the front page and leads with a list of stories. And being North Korean, features detailing the work of Kim Jong Un receive top billing.The site’s most useful feature, the…
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End of an era as Tokyo’s Korea Book Center closes
Tokyo’s best source of North Korean books is no more. The Korea Book Center has shuttered its website a month after its physical store was closed. The store in the Hakusan neighborhood was operated by the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan, better known locally as “Chosen Soren,” and provided a place to pick up…
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Koryolink faces big problems with cash, competition
Orascom Telecom, the majority owner of North Korean cellular network Koryolink, is facing major problems getting its money out of North Korea and now has new competition from its partner, the government, in the form of a rival cellular network. The new network was recently launched in competition with Koryolink and the two parties are currently discussing merging the…
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Instagram block adds speed bump to DPRK’s Internet access
It was always a bit of a paradox: in the country with some of the strictest censorship on the planet, Internet access for the lucky ones that had even less restrictions than neighboring China. In North Korea, the Internet divide between the elite and the rest of the country couldn’t have been wider: you either had everything or you…
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3G Internet service said to resume in Pyongyang
Foreigners in Pyongyang can once again access the Internet from their smartphones, according to a report. Service was suspended last Friday because of an Internet connection problem with no estimated time of restoration, according to a message sent to subscribers by carrier Koryolink. The outage and message were reported by Reuters. During the outage, websites hosted…
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US would be OK with a North Korean satellite, but not a launch
The U.S. government says it doesn’t have a problem with North Korean satellites in space, just as long as they aren’t launched on North Korean rockets. That distinction could be important in coming months as North Korea moves towards attempting to put a second satellite into space. When North Korea last launched a satellite in December 2012, it…
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North Korean hackers said to be targeting South with MERS emails
North Korean hackers are targeting South Korean Internet users with emails that purport to be updates on the MERS (Middle East Respitory Syndrome) virus, according to broadcaster KBS. [Update: See below] A major outbreak of MERS has killed at least 14 people in the country, sickened 138 people and has close to 4,000 people in isolation…
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Orascom tackles its North Korean cash problem
The Egyptian company that runs North Korea’s sole cellular network appears to be finally confronting one of its biggest problems in North Korea: the value of its money there. Egypt’s Orascom Telecom and Media Technology (OTMT) said on Tuesday that it is delaying the filing of its latest quarterly financial report while it attempts to…
