North Korea: misconceptions and facts. Why is there no internet in North Korea?

Residents of the DPRK call their country “Joseon,” which translates as “Land of Morning Freshness.” This is the year 106 according to the local calendar, and the way of life of citizens is sometimes shocking. Catch Interesting Facts about this mysterious country.

1. The Internet is only for privileged citizens

Only a select few have access to the Internet. The most chosen ones. Even if you are a state security colonel or a party member, this does not mean at all that you can use the global network.

In addition to a narrow circle of government agencies, some scientists involved in important developments at the Pyongyang University of Science and Technology have the right to access the network.

Only since 2005 have foreign embassies and missions been allowed to connect to the Internet using one of North Korea's two providers.

2. Local network the size of a country

What about the rest of the population? There is a nationwide intranet for citizens of the country Gwangmyeon. This is an internal network, disconnected from global internet, accessed via dial-up over telephone lines.

Everything that ends up in Gwangmyeong is selected by a special institution - the Korean Computer Center. Its employees collect politically permissible sites and materials from the “big” Internet and post them locally.

When the intranet was first created, it was possible to access it from home, but 8 years ago such actions were banned. Currently this is only available from institutions.

It is known that journalists writing for the intranet can be subject to retaliation for typos.

3. The only internet cafe in the whole country

In Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, there is the only Internet cafe, divided into a zone for local residents and foreigners, who are given access to the global network for $10 per hour.

By the way, a special script is inserted into the browser of Korean computers, which, when the name of the leader is detected, highlights it and makes it a little larger than the main text.

4. Prohibited content arrives in a balloon

Prohibited media content reaches North Korea in an innovative way: residents of South Korean border towns buy balloons and attach a flash drive to them with TV series, films and Wikipedia articles recorded on it.

5. Computer is a sign of wealth

Have in North Korea At home, a computer is a symbol of success. An indicator that you belong to the middle class. It can only be used to watch movies or games.

6. Do you want to read the e-mail? Sign up for the queue

In the DPRK, there is a group of people who, due to the nature of their activities, only have access to email.

To do this, the employee goes to a special, guarded room, signs a record of his visit and goes to read the e-mail.

A state security guard makes sure that he only reads email and does not use a browser.

7. Wi-Fi is prohibited

After foreign embassies were allowed to connect to the Internet in 2005, the government decided to prohibit them from installing Wi-Fi without special permission.

Some embassies Western countries deliberately used very powerful routers, distributing the Internet to people located near them. The “threat” has now been eliminated.

8. Turned off the government radio - went to jail

Radio in the DPRK is a propaganda tool, so you absolutely cannot turn it off, even at home, you can only turn it down.

In addition, the radio receiver itself must be sealed. Fixed tuning solves the “problem” with foreign radio broadcasting. House managers are required to check the integrity of seals, and special units identify violators listening to prohibited programs.

For the absence of a seal - criminal penalty, for listening to capitalist radio broadcasts - the death penalty.

9. Gulag in North Korean style: the rule of “Punishment of three generations”

Currently, there are 16 correctional camps in the DPRK, located in mountainous areas and fenced with electrified barbed wire. They house about 200,000 prisoners.

You can end up in a labor camp in North Korea not only for betraying the Motherland or political disagreement, but also for stealing a few grains of corn or not grieving enough for the country’s departed leader.

So in December 2011, after the end of mourning for Kim Jong Il, more than 1,000 people were sent to a labor camp.

Until 2004, the country had the “Three Generation Punishment” rule: a person who broke the law was sent to a labor camp, and with him all members of his family: parents, children, grandparents. Children born while serving their sentences had no right to leave the camp.

10. Tourists need to be alert

If you ever decide to visit North Korea, be prepared to shell out a pretty penny for all sorts of permits.

The memo from the travel agency clearly states that independent travel for tourists is strictly prohibited. You will only be able to travel along government-defined routes, in the company of a guide who speaks your language.

There are also rules and restrictions on photography and video shooting. For example, you can only photograph statues or paintings of great leaders in full height with arms, legs and head. It is forbidden to crop them, even if you or your friends do not fit completely into the frame. Filming of the local population is possible only with their consent.

But still, do not forget what country you are in. Here, even a tourist can easily end up in jail. For example, American tourist Otto Warmbier was accused of a crime against statehood and sentenced to 15 years in a labor camp. He tried to take a poster with a propaganda slogan from the hotel as a souvenir.

11. There are no homeless people or stray dogs in Pyongyang

On the streets of Pyongyang you will not meet any homeless people, beggars, or stray dogs. Partly because residents of the capital are prohibited from keeping dogs, and partly because people with good incomes who are loyal to the authorities can afford to live in the capital.

There are no strangers here: the North Korean capital is considered a showcase of socialism and is carefully guarded, entry only with special passes after a thorough search.

Therefore, you don’t have to worry about the safety of your belongings; there’s not even such a thing as street crime here. All kinds of violations are suppressed at the level of prevention.

12. Lenin is jealous in the mausoleum

For locals, visiting the Kim Jong Il Mausoleum is the most popular entertainment in the country. The embalmed body of the great leader is in a glass tomb and is available for public viewing.

Every North Korean is obliged to visit this sacred place at least once in his life.

13. Kijeongdong Fake Village

The North Korean government will go to great lengths for propaganda!

4 kilometers from the demilitarized border with South Korea th the “Village of Peace” was built - Kijong-dong. This is an exemplary village with beautiful houses, hospital, school, kindergarten and a huge flagpole.

However, it's all fake. If you look at this village through powerful binoculars, you will see that there is nothing else except the facades of the buildings. Although the government claims that about 200 families live in Kijeong-dong.

The “Village of Peace” (or as the South Koreans call it, the propaganda village) is essentially an uninhabited place that looks presentable from the outside to attract defectors from the south.

14. No roads, no cars, no traffic lights

Only 3% of roads in North Korea are paved, which is approximately 724 kilometers of the total road length of 25,554 km.

The degree of motorization in the country is 800 times less than in Russia. In the DPRK, you can own a personal car only for “service to the state” or if it is a gift from relatives living abroad. Provided that they are obliged to donate the second same car to the state.

Most of the cars on the roads have black military license plates. The military department includes many economic structures: industrial enterprises, collective farms, various construction sites, etc.

White numbers are assigned to government organizations, blue numbers are assigned to diplomatic missions.

There is no automobile infrastructure as such; car service or tire fitting on the road is exotic.

There is not a single traffic light installed in the entire country. This is not necessary due to the lack of traffic and also due to problems with power supply. The traffic is monitored by traffic controllers, who have now become a symbol of the DPRK. Dolls depicting them are in great demand in souvenir shops.

15. You can't see the light here

The country has problems with electricity. Light is supplied according to schedule. At night, Pyongyang plunges into darkness. Only the numerous statues of leaders and their portraits located throughout the city are illuminated.

Residents' apartments have dim, energy-saving light bulbs. And outside the capital there is settlements, in which there was never electricity.

16. How long do you have there? Time zone: Pyongyang time

Before the protectorate of Japan, which North Korea became a part of after the end of the Russo-Japanese War in 1905, the country had its own time zone. The time difference with South Korea and Japan was half an hour.

On August 15, 2015, in honor of the 70th anniversary of liberation from Japanese invaders, the government returned Pyongyang time.

17. Fashionable haircuts are approved by the government

No matter how funny it may sound, only 28 hairstyles and haircuts are approved in the country.

Girls have the right to wear 14 haircut options. For married women - only a short haircut; only single women can grow their hair longer.

Men are prohibited from growing their hair longer than 5 cm; for older people, a relaxation is made: the maximum length is 7 cm.

18. The USA is enemy number one for the DPRK

The government expresses its aggressive attitude towards this country in every way: from the development of nuclear weapons (despite UN pacts), threats to launch ballistic missiles, to banning its citizens from wearing jeans.

Coca-Cola is also banned. In this country you won't buy it anywhere.

19. North Koreans don't have days off.

Why do you think residents have no time to go to restaurants and other entertainment venues? Because they can't afford it?

Partly yes. But the main reason is the six-day work week. The working day is 11 hours long and each day begins and ends with a political meeting, at which leaders talk about the achievements of the country and great leaders.

On Sunday it is customary to engage in “volunteer” work for the benefit of one’s great homeland.

So there are actually no days off. And if the opportunity to relax does arise, then according to state policy, you need to spend such a day in company, and not alone.

20. Instead of Christmas, it’s Kim Jong Il’s mother’s birthday

On December 24, everyone in the country celebrates the birthday of Kim Jong Il's mother instead of celebrating Christmas. Kim Jong Il's own birthday (February 16) serves as a substitute for Valentine's Day.

In general, if you look at the official calendar of holidays, there are not so many of them, 2 times less than in our country, but, like us, May 1 is celebrated as “Labor Day”.

21. Own chronology

Besides Gregorian calendar, chronology in the DPRK is carried out from the birth of Kim Il Sung. This is called the Juche calendar.

The year of birth of the leader, 1912, is taken as the starting point and is considered the first. There is no zero year at all. Thus, it is now the 106th year of Juche in North Korea.

When writing dates, both chronology are used.

22. There is a state program for donating feces

Most of the territory of the DPRK is infertile: about 80% of the territory is located in mountainous areas. Here they come monsoon rains, which also does not contribute to the harvest.

Supplied fertilizers to the country Soviet Union. With its collapse and the cessation of supplies, collective farmers had to look for a new source. They became human waste.

Thus, a state program for the delivery of feces was developed with a quota of 2000 tons per year.

23. Sarcasm towards the government is prohibited

The power in this country cannot be discussed anyway; for this you can end up in prison. However, satire and sarcasm are now banned.

For example, the phrase “Blame the US,” which residents used to ridicule their government's tendency to blame problems on another country, would be considered hostile to the state.

24. You can’t have a wedding before the army.

Military service in the DPRK is compulsory for all citizens. The conscription age starts at 17 years old, the service life varies from 4 to 5 years depending on the type of military service.

After the army, citizens have the right to go to college to receive higher education, and also get married.

25. There are only 3 TV channels in the DPRK

TV, like many other things Appliances, is an expensive thing. And those who buy it are required to register it with the competent authorities.

There are 2 TV channels available for viewing, the third one airs in the evening. The main purpose of television, like radio, is agitation and propaganda.

26. The Ministry of Health allows the use of “substances”

Marijuana in the DPRK is not considered a drug at all: you can use it quite legally here. In the country it is allowed to grow it on a personal plot. Cannabis is openly sold in markets and smoked in public places.

True, the quality of the crop leaves much to be desired, due to the lack of proper selection and high-quality fertilizers.

A strange relief from the government, which creates a lot of prohibitions in all spheres of human life.

27. There are castes in North Korea

In the 50s, Kim Il Sung customized society by publishing Songbun, - fundamental element social life in North Korea. According to this, the whole society is divided into 5 groups: special, core, basic, problematic, and hostile. The latter has a very hard time in life.

Songbun consists of 2 factors: social and hereditary.

Hereditary is transmitted through the male line and depends on the position occupied during Japanese colonization and Korean War 50s. If the ancestors were “for” Kim Il Sung, then the status of the great-grandchildren will be very high.

The social factor depends on the citizen’s occupation: agriculture, military or party service, etc.

Songbun determines the future of a North Korean: education, profession, income, place of residence in the country, and reputation in society as a whole. For example, people belonging to a base caste loyal to the government of the country have the right to reside in the capital. Representatives of the problem group are prohibited from entering Pyongyang.

North Koreans are deprived of many joys modern world due to the policies of their leader, however, there is a place for small joys in their lives.

28. The first beer festival in the history of the DPRK

On August 12, 2016, the first beer festival took place on the picturesque bank of the Taidong River, which flows in the capital of the DPRK.

On the opening day, more than 500 residents enjoyed the national lager "Taydon" with light snacks and live music. In total, the festival lasted 20 days, and was attended by about a million lovers of the local beer of the same name.

That's how they live, yes

North Korea is often called the land of the absurd. Its inhabitants, isolated from the whole world and under the constant oppression of their government, amaze foreigners with their hard work, hospitality and cheerfulness.

They say that after a trip to North Korea, you begin to value many things differently, including freedom. Would you go there?

5.00 out of 5, rated: 1 )

website Would you like to live in such a country?

It was possible to find out that the Internet of North Korea is represented by only 28 sites.

This became possible thanks to an error on North Korean servers, thanks to which on Monday anyone could access North Korean sites with the top-level domain .kp.

The DPRK Internet is hidden from the rest of the world and tightly controlled by local authorities. Now sites are available to users from any country, but they load very slowly. At the time of publication, access to only a portion of the sites was maintained.

The list of North Korean sites was published on the Internet for the first time:

1. airkoryo.com.kp
2. cooks.org.kp
3. friend.com.kp
4. gnu.rep.kp
5. kass.org.kp
6. kcna.kp
7. kiyctc.com.kp
8. knic.com.kp
9. koredufund.org.kp
10. korelcfund.org.kp
11. korfilm.com.kp
12. ma.gov.kp
13. masikryong.com.kp
14. naenara.com.kp
15. nta.gov.kp
16. portal.net.kp
17. rcc.net.kp
18. rep.kp
19. rodong.rep.kp
20. ryongnamsan.edu.kp
21. sdprk.org.kp
22. silibank.net.kp
23. star-co.net.kp
24. star-di.net.kp
25. star.co.kp
26. star.edu.kp
27. star.net.kp
28. vok.rep.kp

Reddit users analyzed the themes and purpose of some North Korean sites:

airkoryo.com.kp

This is the website of the DPRK state airline Air Koryo, which also has a representative office in Moscow.

From Russian cities Air Koryo flies only to Vladivostok. All ticket prices are the same regardless of date: economy class - $414, business class - $480.

gnu.rep.kp

The website of the national radio station is called “Grand National Unity” (GNU)

News is published there along with audio recordings, which are broadcast on radio stations with the expectation of propaganda in nearby countries.

cooks.org.kp

The site publishes recipes and information about the cuisine and restaurants of the DPRK

It is alleged that national North Korean dishes are well known throughout the world due to their recognizable taste and strong smell.

ryongnamsan.edu.kp

The website of Kim Il Sung University, the largest university in the DPRK, located in Pyongyang, has not only a website in Korean, but also an English version

The university was founded on October 1, 1946, under the orders of Kim Il Sung. On the site in addition to general information about the university there is a section about international exchanges. Although it is impossible to find data on how many university students go to study abroad, the section contains several materials on cooperation between the DPRK and Russia.

Websites of the North Korean segment of the Internet became accessible abroad using their domain addresses at the beginning of 2011: before that they could only be accessed using specific IP addresses. However, they still use low-power hosting, which makes it difficult for people outside the DPRK to access the sites.

According to researcher nknetobserver, there are a total of 1,024 IP addresses on the North Korean segment of the Internet. In 2012, he managed to detect a user accessing this network from a 2008 MacBook Air (the second version of Apple's budget laptop).

In 2015, the opening of a new website about scientific achievements, available only to North Korean citizens, became a national event. The internal network, called Kwangmen, runs on illegal software from Microsoft and has no access to the external segment of the Internet.

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Myth No. 1. There is no Internet in North Korea.
North Koreans have access to the Internet, albeit in a very specific form. Only selected (officials, military, etc.) Koreans have the right to access the Internet, the rest use the “internal” Internet of North Korea (Gwangmyeon). There is only one internet cafe in Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea. Pay is $10 per hour. Accordingly, this cafe is not really for local residents. There is not even a sign at the entrance to the Internet cafe. The cafe itself is divided into a main room - for citizens of the DPRK, and an additional room - for foreigners.

In the room for foreigners there are 7 pretty good computers with Windows 2000 and no restrictions on opening any pages around the world. The Internet is free for absolutely everyone - it is distributed to everyone free of charge, around the clock, via dial-up.

A special script is embedded in the browser on Korean computers, which, when it detects the name of the great Leader on the page, highlights it in such a way that it becomes slightly larger than the rest of the text on the page. There is mobile Internet in North Korea, but it is represented by only one website. Journalists writing for the domestic Internet are repressed for typos. Banned media content travels from South Korea to North Korea and back in an innovative way - tied to a balloon. Available in South Korea balloon, a flash drive is attached to it. The flash drive contains versions of television series, films, as well as articles from Wikipedia.

Myth No. 2. North Korea is one of the most closed countries in the world...
Of course, there are restrictions on video and photography here, but not as much as the media presents to us. You won’t be able to meet and talk with residents, take pictures with them, or visit many objects completely freely here.

Myth No. 3. There is crime in North Korea.
Pyongyang is the safest city in this world. Even those who lived here for several years have not heard anything about street crime. Here you quickly stop watching your pockets and camera, which has a relaxing effect before a date with pickpockets in Beijing. All possible offenses are suppressed at the level of prevention.

Myth No. 4. In North Korea, like everywhere else, there are homeless people.
There are no beggars, no homeless people, not even stray animals. You won’t see a single group of “thinking for three” people.
Myth No. 5. North Korea is jealous of everyone.
On the contrary, the citizens of North Korea sympathize with the citizens of the rest of the world (officially). In South Korea there is wild capitalism. Yes, there are rich people there, but there are also a lot of poor people there. In the DPRK there are neither rich nor poor, but there is stability and confidence in the future.

Myth No. 6. North Korea is preparing for war with the rest of the world...
Official Pyongyang announced that the country's armed forces had been brought to full combat readiness. The reason for this is joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea. Pyongyang views these actions as a provocation. In fact, North Korea is not going to attack anyone (and will not be able to), but only carry out defensive actions.

Myth #7 North Korea is very poor.
This country is not hopelessly poor to the extent that we are accustomed to imagine it - especially in comparison with any "normal" and "free" Third World country. At the same time, she amazes with wealth human culture, which undoubtedly has a socialist nature. Deprived of some necessary and many dubious benefits, Koreans have many significant advantages over the life of our world. We have a lot to envy these people. The agricultural complex of this poor country, crushed by the economic blockade, looks much more preferable to our province.

Myth No. 8. There are very few cars in the DPRK.
Yes this is true. Opened in 1950 and to this day remaining the country's largest automobile enterprise, the Sungri motor plant in different time produced several types of passenger cars and a whole variety of trucks. The company is located on an area of ​​600 thousand square meters, in 1980 the plant produced about 20 thousand cars a year, but in 1996 this figure was only 150 cars. All models produced by the plant in one way or another copy cars from other countries, mainly the USSR. The Russian auto giant AvtoVAZ systematically exports cars to North Korea, and the volume of this export looks quite significant against the background of the production figures of Pyeonghwa Motors, which is most likely the largest in the country. Thus, AvtoVAZ supplied 350 cars to North Korea in 2011. Earlier, in 2008, the North Korean authorities ordered 850 Lada cars. In 2009, this figure was lower - 530 vehicles, and in 2010 there were no orders from North Korea.

According to media reports, the founder of the North Korean regime, Kim Il Sung, had a fleet of 1 thousand foreign cars, mostly premium and luxury. In the late 1990s, Kim Jong Il found himself at the center of an automobile scandal: the leader of the DPRK ordered 200 Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedans from Germany with money received as humanitarian aid UN. However, at present, North Korea’s isolation from the rest of the world makes it much more difficult for the country’s leadership to purchase expensive cars abroad.

Myth No. 9. There are no electricity problems in North Korea.
It's a delusion. The capital of North Korea is something of an imaginary utopia reserved for the elite population. Armed guards patrol the borders to keep lower classes from infiltrating, and most of Pyongyang's residents live in conditions that only vaguely resemble luxury but are elevated to the level of luxury. But even three million upper-class citizens are denied electricity for more than an hour or two a day. Sometimes, especially in winter period, electricity goes out completely while millions of people try to cope with low temperatures, which can be below -18 degrees. Most homes outside of Pyongyang have never had electricity at all. A nighttime satellite image shows lights emanating from residential buildings in the north and south of China and South Korea, respectively, and in between dark spot- North Korea.

Myth No. 10. North Korea and the Gulag.

There are currently about 16 labor camps operating in North Korea, representing large territories, scattered across mountainous terrain and fenced with electrified barbed wire. It is believed that approximately 200,000 prisoners are permanently held in these camps. These prisons are often compared to Gulag camps Soviet Russia. After all, these are large labor camps where prisoners are held in inhumane working conditions and sent here for petty crimes such as stealing a few grains of corn. The prisoners are usually made up of defectors, traitors and former politicians, which went against the government - it is very easy to include them all here.

Myth No. 11. Advertising is the engine of trade in North Korea.
There is practically no advertising anywhere. Until now, there have been virtually no advertisements on North Korean television screens. It is partially replaced by frequent programs about the country's enterprises. North Korean television has only recently started showing advertisements for local beer Taedonggang, Reuters reports. The video is accompanied by cheerful music and begins with an image of a glass being filled with beer. The video goes on to show that beer is drunk by both miners and townspeople, who are brought bottles by girls in traditional Korean clothes. The advertising slogan is “The Pride of Pyongyang.” Foreigners can buy it in Pyongyang hotels for about a dollar and a half per bottle. The only advertisements found only in Pyongyang are billboards with cars produced jointly by South and North Korea.

Myth No. 12. There is no cellular service in the country.
Just recently, an ordinary resident of the country could not even dream of cell phone, mobile Internet or 3G networks. Until recently, only representatives of the local elite, as well as employees of foreign organizations accredited in the DPRK, could use the mentioned services. Today, it appears that North Korea has successfully entered a new “mobile” era. Mobile communications became available to ordinary North Koreans in December 2008, after a long-term ban. Then 5,300 people connected to the network. Almost six months later, in May 2009, the country's only cellular operator, Koryolink, reported 19,200 subscribers who had connected to the service. For a population of 23.9 million, it would seem not enough. Some three months later, in September last year, the mobile company reported 69,261 subscribers. An increase of more than 3.5 times! I suppose these figures may not seem too convincing to anyone. The cost of connecting to the network and a mobile phone is, according to various sources, 350-400 USD. Subscription fee is about 6 US dollars per month. For ordinary citizens of the country, of course, the amount is large. For comparison: average annual wage for an ordinary North Korean resident, according to media reports, is about 500 USD.

Image caption Internet access in North Korea is limited to a limited number of people.

What is it like to use the Internet in the most closed country in the world? By the standards of world practice, the experience of North Korean Internet users can be called at least strange, and in many cases life-threatening.

But as the North Koreans, overcoming obstacles, begin to use worldwide network, the history of the country may begin to change radically.

How does it work? On every page of any official North Korean website there is a strange option - a program that must be included in the code of each page.

Its function is simple: every time Kim Jong-un's name is mentioned, the font size of his name increases. Not too much, but enough to stand out.

The Internet in North Korea serves only one purpose, and there is nothing else like it in any other country in the world. In a state where citizens lack any information except government propaganda, the Internet serves exclusively the needs of the authorities.

True, everything more people believe that total control is beginning to weaken. "The government can no longer monitor all communications in the country as it once could," explains Scott Thomas Bruce, an expert on North Korea. "This is very significant change", he believes.

"Year 101"

There is only one internet cafe in Pyongyang. Users quickly discover that the computer does not run on the Windows operating system, but on the "Red Star" operating system developed by North Korean specialists.

Image caption The name of leader Kim Jong-un is always visible

According to some reports, this was done at the personal request of Kim Jong Il.

The first file that loads says that operating system consistent with the country's values, and that this is extremely important.

In the computer calendar, the year is not 2012, but 101. 101 years ago, Kim Il Sung was born, the grandfather of Kim Jong Un, whose ideas still shape the country's politics.

Ordinary citizens do not have access to the Internet. Only a select few enjoy this right: political elite and some scientists. But even for them, the Internet is so limited that it resembles an internal corporate network rather than a global network, as in the rest of the world.

“They have installed a system that they can monitor and turn off if necessary,” explains expert Bruce.

Image caption North Korea has its own Red Star operating system.

This system is called "Gwangmyeon" and is operated by the only Internet provider in the country. According to Bruce, the North Korean Internet mainly consists of "classification sites, government media and sites with chat functions." It is not surprising that there is no hint of Twitter there.

“Many authoritarian regimes are looking at what is happening in the Middle East. They are thinking: what if they don’t allow Facebook and Twitter, but create a Facebook that the government can control?” the expert asks. “Red Star” works with an adapted version of the browser, which is called "Naenara", is also called official portal North Korea, which also has an English version."

Common sites on the North Korean Internet are news portals such as the Voice of Korea and the official government portal Rodong Sinmun.

But anyone who creates content for this “network” must be extremely careful.

"Balloons"

As Chris Green, writing for Daily NK, points out, one of the new ways to send information to North Korea is through the use of USB devices that are tethered to balloons and sent across the border.

The devices usually record South Korean TV series or Korean versions of pages from the Internet encyclopedia Wikipedia.

And although most North Koreans do not have access to the Internet, this is how they can receive information from the outside world.

Daily NK is based in South Korea and publishes stories from North Koreans - those who fled and those living in their own country.

According to the site's authors, "from time to time we are told stories that would make James Bond proud. Cell phones hidden in bags and buried in the mountains on the outskirts of the city to make just one call, which cannot last more than two minutes, otherwise the security services will intercept it.”

The organization Reporters Without Borders, which monitors the situation with press freedom around the world, notes that some North Korean journalists could end up in “revolutionary” camps for a simple typo.

However, some North Koreans have unlimited access to the Internet. It is assumed that members of only a few families directly related to Kim Jong-un himself possess it.

"Mosquito net"

North Korean authorities' reluctance to allow citizens to access the Internet belies their understanding that the country will eventually have to gradually open up to survive.

And while China has the famous "Great Internet Wall" that blocks sites like Twitter and the occasional BBC, North Korea's technological infrastructure is often described as a "mosquito net" that allows only the most basic things to be used.

The most difficult thing to track is mobile technology. Although North Korea has an official mobile phone network that does not allow Internet access or international calls, North Koreans are increasingly acquiring Chinese cell phones smuggled into the country.

Phones usually work within a 10 km zone from the Chinese border - however, having such a phone is dangerous.

“The lengths people are willing to go to today would have been unimaginable 20 years ago,” says Nat Kretchan, author of a study on the changing information environment in North Korea.

His report, "A Quiet Discovery," is an analysis of 420 interviews the researcher conducted with people who fled the country. Their stories provide insight into the lengths people will go to get their hands on mobile phones.

Image caption North Korea has 3G technology, but mobile internet No

“To make sure my phone wasn’t being tapped, when I made calls, I turned on the water in the bathroom and put a steamer lid on my head,” said one 28-year-old man who fled the country in November 2010. “I don’t know if that helped.” , but I was never caught."

And if the “scientificness” of this approach raises serious doubts, this person’s fear is quite understandable. "It's a serious crime to have a phone like that," Bruce explains. "The government has equipment to track down people who use such devices. If you use such a phone, it must be done in a densely populated area and very quickly," the expert explains.

Honest information

Hundreds of tanks took part in parades during the time of Kim Jong Il, demonstrating the “military genius” of the leader.

Many observers note that his son Kim Jong-un is well versed in modern technologies and tries to put them at the service of the inhabitants of the country.

Every new step in this direction gives the Koreans something they never had before - honest information that could have a devastating effect on such a closed society.

"I don't think it's going to open the door to an Arab Spring any time soon," says Bruce, "but I do think people now expect access to technology. And that creates expectations that can't be easily dashed."

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North Korea is a mythical country. In the sense that due to the lack of information about it, myths are created, many of which, however, have very real grounds.

We are in website decided to find out what things are unavailable or limited in the most closed country in the world, and many of them, I must admit, really surprised us.

1. You can't wear blue jeans

If you can afford jeans, then no one will stop you from wearing them. But denim can only be black, because blue jeans are not allowed here- it is believed that these pants, popular all over the world, personify the entire world of imperialism. However, tourists may well wear sky-colored jeans, but to visit the monument to Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, they will still have to change clothes.

2. There is no way to access the Internet and use Wi-Fi

North Korea has computers and the Internet. More precisely, the intranet is the internal computer network “Gwangmyeon”, in which, according to various estimates, from 1,000 to 5,500 sites are recorded. Naturally, there is no question of accessing websites of other countries unless you are a high-ranking official. By the way, the local operating system "Red Star" in latest version reminiscent of MacOS X. They say this was done to please Kim Jong-un, who has a love for Apple products.

But Wi-Fi does not exist in North Korea. And ordinary residents of the country do not have mobile devices equipped with access even to Gwangmyeon. In addition, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth modules are removed from Chinese tablets adapted for the DPRK - simply as unnecessary.

3. Local currency is not available to foreigners

Tourists coming to North Korea are not allowed to use the national currency, the North Korean won. In local shops intended for foreigners, are calculated exclusively in euros, yuan, South Korean won and, oddly enough, dollars. But it is impossible to buy something in a store where Koreans themselves shop - moreover, foreigners are not even allowed to cross their threshold.

4. You can’t buy real estate in the DPRK

Apartments in North Korea are not sold (at least officially), they are distributed by the state. And it is almost impossible to move from the village to Pyongyang - only a select few are awarded such a privilege, and only for special merits. However, on the black market, which seems to have taken over all spheres of life in this country today, you can still buy an apartment for $70–90 thousand. Only here official salary An ordinary Korean, as refugees say, has no more than $4 per month.

5. Buying a car is almost impossible

The owner of his own car is, by North Korean standards, a very rich or very influential person. The cost of a four-wheeled vehicle, which is still a luxury here, is an exorbitant amount for Koreans - according to this site, it is approximately $40 thousand. Even a bicycle is not accessible to everyone and is not found very often, especially if we're talking about not about Pyongyang. And so much so that each of them has its own number, like a car.

6. You can’t borrow a newspaper from the library that was published several years ago.

It is impossible to find a newspaper in the library that was published several years ago. The fact is that the course of the Workers' Party of Korea may undergo changes, which the Korean people do not necessarily need to know about. For obvious reasons, it’s not even worth talking about foreign periodicals, especially glossy magazines. But you don’t need to buy daily newspapers - you can read them at special stands on the street or in the subway.

7. There is no opportunity to buy religious literature

North Korea is a 100% secular country. No, religion is not prohibited here, at least at the legislative level. Moreover, in Pyongyang there is even Christian churches, however, these are a kind of Potemkin villages, which, among other things, are under the watchful supervision of the state.

On the other side, Christianity, for example, is considered a competitor to the Juche “religion”, and therefore, to put it mildly, is not welcome. There are also Buddhist temples in the country, but they are considered mainly as historical and cultural monuments.

8. You can’t call abroad using a local SIM card

Cell phones are no longer a rarity in North Korea. However, despite the availability of mobile communications, an ordinary Korean will not be able to call another country or even a foreigner located in the DPRK. All local SIM cards are intended exclusively for calls within the country. You never know.

9. You won’t be able to take a hot shower at home.

There is no hot water supply in the houses and apartments of North Koreans - to wash themselves, they usually visit bathhouses, of which there are quite a few in the country. In addition, you won’t be able to warm your hands on a central heating radiator either - they simply don’t exist here. Wood-burning stoves are used for heating. Even in Pyongyang.

Some might argue that there is no central heating in other Asian countries. However, they use modern electric heaters, and in the DPRK, as is known, electricity is supplied intermittently even in the capital.

10. You can’t buy Coca-Cola in stores.

Until 2015, there were only 2 countries in the world where there was an official ban on the sale of this popular soda: Cuba and North Korea. After the drink was allowed to be sold on Liberty Island, the northern part of the Korean Peninsula has become the only place in the world where it is not on store shelves solely for ideological reasons.

11. It is impossible to travel to another country.

Residents of North Korea cannot buy a plane ticket and go on vacation to another country. And not only because it expensive pleasure, but also because it is simply prohibited.

However, a ban is also imposed on free movement within the country - to visit relatives in another village or city, you need to obtain permission. Sometimes Koreans, however, go abroad - to China or Russia, but only to earn money.

12. There is no McDonald's in North Korea

North Korea does not have the usual fast food restaurants - for obvious reasons. However, in Lately on the streets of Pyongyang you can find street food stalls selling traditional Korean food, including the world-famous kimchi. They say it is very tasty and incredibly spicy.

It's hard to believe, but many North Koreans don't even know about the existence of condoms. Several decades ago they appeared on the black market, but due to stated reason were not popular, and now it is almost impossible to buy them within the country due to lack of demand.

In addition, such an intimate thing as ordinary tampons, which can be bought all over the world without any problems, cannot be found in Korean stores - at least those intended for local residents. No matter how surprising it may sound in our time, women here are forced to use ordinary fabric - and it is not even disposable.

15. It’s unlikely that you’ll be able to get a creative haircut in North Korea.

This is not entirely untrue, but still an exaggeration. Yes, local hair salons have pictures of women's and men's haircuts, however, they are still advisory in nature. On the other hand, fashion is largely determined by the leader of the country, so many men wear exactly the same haircut as Kim Jong-un. Among women, the chin-length bob became a “hit,” thanks to the same Kim Jong-un, who said that such a haircut suits Korean ladies very well.

Bonus: Radio North Korea

North Korea has several television and radio channels broadcasting programs, movies, theater productions and more. True, all of them are politicized to one degree or another, connected with the situation in the country and abroad, and glorify all three Kims. You can verify this by listening Russian-language radio “Voice of Korea”- directly from this link.