This month, more on the impact of the closure of foreign radio broadcasts into North Korea, a technical look at the country’s Internet connections, and why marketing text messages might soon be annoying North Koreans.
This column is now available as part of the new NK TechLab monthly newsletter on Substack.
DailyNK: Pyongyang’s calculated silence: Why North Korea won’t celebrate RFA’s shutdown
The North Korean regime has remained silent since the suspension of Radio Free Asia broadcasts, reports DailyNK. This is despite the state once calling the US-funded broadcaster “front line of psychological warfare.”
The silence rather than victory lap is apparently to avoid publicizing that such broadcasts ever existed, says the publication. It said that in the wake of the closure of RFA, the state is conducting inspections of radios as usual but has not launched a particular crackdown.
Analysis: Various social campaigns against foreign information have always walked a thin line between dissuading its consumption by detailing penalties and sparking interest in it by highlighting that it exists and goes against the state narrative.
There are probably few North Koreans that do not know it is possible to receive broadcasts from other countries, but many have probably never tried—or at least not tried recently. The state appears to be betting that it is better to let the memory of RFA fade into the distance than highlight it has remained a broadcast force until recently. That is especially true if there is a possibility it might return to the air one day soon.
NK Internet: DPRK Infrastructure Update
The NK Internet blog provides a technical update on some of North Korea’s Internet infrastructure and how the country connects to the world. The post includes some details on the known connection points and also some clues as to possibly undisclosed connections.
Analysis: Not much is known about North Korea’s internal network and its outside connections beyond a handful of well-publicized routes, so the details are interesting. If you have anymore details on the internal network, please contact me.
Daily NK: Marketing revolution: N. Korean companies pitch privacy protection and free installation via text
North Korean cellphone users receive over 10 commercial text messages per day from companies competing to sell newly released electronics products, reports Daily NK.
It says, “advertised products include not only smartphones, but also notebook computers, tablet computers, desktop computers, flat-screen TVs, refrigerators and air conditioners.”
One of the things driving the increased interest in electronics is better electricity management on the network side, so homes now enjoy more hours of power per day, it reported. Some of the devices sold are imported from China but undergo the common process of being modified in North Korea to abide by local laws. In the case of flat screen TVs, this includes fitting modifications that prevent them from being used to tune into foreign TV channels.
Analysis: The North Korean state appears to be allowing numerous trading companies to source and import electronics products from China. This is most dramatically seen in the smartphone space, where multiple brands compete in what is essentially a small market.
For consumers, this has led to higher competition and the slow development of advertising and marketing, which are typically not seen in North Korean broadcast or print media. Additionally, the new products also help give consumers the impression that life is improving and their country is increasingly becoming more modern.
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