The “fight against ideological diversion” is not strictly reserved for the Pyongyang regime, and IT giants call it a battle with “fake news and online extremism.”
North Korea is perhaps the most isolated country on the planet. Little is known about real life there, but modest information shows that its inhabitants are not always as far behind as we imagine. North Koreans also have smartphones and even social networks.
In fact, at least several million people in the DPRK have smartphones with mobile internet. The devices are made in China or assembled locally. However, information about the “North Korean web” and its social networks is much scarcer.
Facebook, Twitter и YouTube
When there are no crashes, Facebook is used daily by billions of people around the world. For the average DPRK resident, however, the social network is “permanently inaccessible.”
Only a few have access to sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
A significant part of them are members of the party elite in the country. Data reveals that the biggest use of Facebook is in Pyongyang. This is the most used foreign social network in North Korea, and it is supposed to be popular especially among the children of the ruling class.
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North Korea relies on Tumblr missiles
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However, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are also widely used by people belonging to intelligence. It is known that North Koreans follow the Twitter accounts of leading American and Western politicians. They use information from social networks to more precisely adjust their perception of the outside world and the country’s ability to act in it.
Last but not least, foreign social networks are also used by hackers. North Korea is known for its army of cyber experts. Their tasks are most often to raise money for the regime, to steal confidential information or to attack enemy sites.
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Homepage of one of the most popular North Korean sites
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North Korea maintains official information account on Twitter – @uriminzok (in Bulgarian Uriminzok translates as “Our Race”). It is connected to an information portal with English and Russian versions. As you may have guessed, the design of the North Korean site is quite outdated, and the news in it is dedicated to “Dear Comrade” Kim Jong Un.
Reverse censorship
Between 2014 and 2016, North Korea made it difficult for people with internet access to “Western” social networks. Blocking sites is justified as “fighting disinformation and ideological diversion.”
However, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube do not remain obligated. The sites regularly delete North Korean profiles and remove their comments. Facebook and Twitter are removing users they suspect have too much sympathy for Pyongyang.
Twitter also removed the @ColdNoodleFan account, which belongs to a North Korean woman posting photos of life in the capital. The reason – the user profile was “promotional”.
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There is propaganda instead of advertising in North Korean forums and social networks
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Instagram has deleted the profile of the official information channel Uriminzok.
YouTube’s unspoken policy is to remove videos of North Koreans. An example of this is the official DPRK YouTube channel – “Uriminzokkiri”. YouTube has deleted more than 11,000 videos uploaded between 2010 and 2017.
We can conclude that the “fight against ideological diversion” is not strictly reserved for the regime in Pyongyang, and the IT giants call it “the fight against fake news and extremism online.”
North Korean social networks
The number of Internet users is estimated at about 2 million in North Korea. It is a curious fact that in the DPRK there are three different, competing telecom operators, with a total of 4-5 million consumers or about 20% of the country’s population. The advent of the mobile internet
It is possible that the number has increased in recent years. The majority of people with the Internet are residents of Pyongyang and members of the upper class in the “classless People’s Republic.” However, access is provided to almost every library in the country, where there are some “state computer clubs”.
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The StarCon social network was available to foreigners in North Korea
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The North Korean Internet is generally not connected to the global network and only works locally.
Tourists share that there are social networks in North Korea.
One of the first is a Facebook clone called StarCon. To date, however, the site is down because it has been shut down by authorities.
The name of the most used social network in North Korea is unknown. Residents of the country contact online in local forums and “news groups”. In the DPRK there is a widespread chat application.
However, the comments were closely monitored by the authorities, which imposed harsh punishments for criticizing the regime.
For this reason, chat applications in North Korea are mainly used to send greeting cards and congratulations. In the forums, only specific practical advice is exchanged, as herbalism, mushroom picking and fishing are some of the most popular topics.
It is known that sometimes the regime is paranoid about this type of communication, which is why access to local forums and sites is not always guaranteed.
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North Korea has developed “its analogue” of reality formats
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To summarize, the North Korean social networks are reminiscent of the popular image of Facebook profiles of middle-aged women, which are full of congratulations, congratulations and wishes for a successful day.
Comments that contradict political correctness in the DPRK are being deleted. The consequences for those who dare to oppose the prevailing norms go beyond the online sphere.
Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube users outside of North Korea often face censorship. Some users’ comments may lead to dismissals and police interrogations, but sending them to a labor camp is still unknown.
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