Slashdot Mirror
The Internet Black Hole That Is North Korea
Nrbelex writes "While other restrictive regimes have sought to find ways to limit the Internet — through filters and blocks and threats — North Korea has chosen to stay wholly off the grid. The New York Times discusses the total lack of 'net access facing the North Korean state, and what it means in the long term." From the article: "The South was illuminated from coast to coast, suggesting that not just lights, but that other, arguably more bedrock utility of the modern age -- information -- was pulsating through the population. The North was black. This is an impoverished country where televisions and radios are hard-wired to receive only government-controlled frequencies. Cellphones were banned outright in 2004. In May, the Committee to Protect Journalists in New York ranked North Korea No. 1 -- over also-rans like Burma, Syria and Uzbekistan -- on its list of the '10 Most Censored Countries.' That would seem to leave the question of Internet access in North Korea moot."
And the biggest issue here is the lack of internet access for citizens? That's really like no news. The internet hasn't been that long with us so how can you even think that it could be available in a such poor and controlled country. What you should be conserned about is their basic needs, food, healthcare, farming machinery etc. Of course internet, if it was available for them by some miracle, could help them break free from the crazy leader but still, that's like climbing to a tree backwards.
You mean countries like Taiwan and Hong-Kong? I don't think they qualify as third-world countries.
They are, however, countries where the legislators don't seem to keep up with the developments in electronic distribution.
That's one less third-world country I have to add to my server's firewall blocking rules!
Funny thing you mentioned...
On the other hand, most (90% i guess) of my spam advertise services/products which the contact is someone in the U.S. (a so-called 1st-world country), despiste the fact I do not live there.
Considering this, I would say the root of the problem is not really those poor countries.
The Internet. Yeah. Gret thing. Usefull tool. Fun plaything.
Ultimate requirement as a definition of a states wellbeing? Hell no.
The arrogance of suggesting the internet supercedes items such as newspapers, phones (remember those things? No IP, just voice -> voltage -> voice), hell, even a decent postal service is laughable.
North Korea? Yeah, the place sucks. I haven't lived there, but I have visited, and even by what could be seen from the touristy approved areas it's not a good place. That's not the point of my post.
kartune85 : Incapable of reason, observation or learning. A kind of dim, drab, flightless parrot.
If you can troll such a stupid comment, I can flamebait one:
300 million Americans do just that it seems!
Maybe these people were born there and aren't allowed to leave?
Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.
My guess is the lack of electricity in the country is some sort of ploy to confuse all of our advanced weapons and smart bomb technology.
My guess it's the lack of natural resources in North Korea, forcing them to have a predominantly pre-industrial society. Especially when all resources that are available go to the ruling party and military.
The only goverments that survive are those where the people are in control.
And you want to put forward the USA as an example? How silly...
Cutting off Internet access is sort of like imposing economic sanctions on yourself.
In North Korea's case though, it's not like the citizens have any money that they'd spend on anything via the Internet though.
Being allowed to leave is only really beneficial when you're also being allowed to enter somewhere else.
i thought it'd already been changed to "In Soviet America" myself...
Uh, yeah, that's it, chief. Their Dear Leader isn't a megamaniacal egotist of a tyranical, genocidal dictator who enslaves his populace to the single goal of military production and his own oppulence, it's that they're eco-centric leftists with a soft heart for spotted owls and and koalas.
Where the fuck would you get an idea like the one you state?! Is it from the misconception that communism is good, and that all communists must be some sort of noble, refined type who only uses twice-recycled styrofoam cups for their espressos, villanized by the evil capitalist West?
~/ssh slashdot.org ssh: connect to host slashdot.org port 22: too many beers
I think in the west we overrate the importance of the internet. At the end of the
day if the internet suddenly vanished the world economy would survive. If the oil
suddenly vanished , well you get the idea. So why do people thing that a country that
has deliberately cut itself off from most of the outside world NEEDS the internet?
They don't. They don't operate under a capilist economic system so any business
argument is moot anyway and as for the entertainment side , well they don't even
have proper TV or radio entertainment so first things first perhaps. I'm sure
the population after having to survive the whims of a psychotic dictator will
manage to survive the 21st century without access to Slashdot or YouTube.
Please, for the good of Humanity, vote Obama.
Do not be born in a country ruled by a paranoid dictator.
Best of luck.
How many problems do they have with terrorists? I can see Bush trying to implement such a "security" plan. I mean, someone has to think of the children!
-Rick
"Most people in the U.S. wouldn't know they live in a tyrannical state if it walked up and grabbed their junk." - MyFirs
Then why does Norway have the highest standard of living in the world?
North Sea oil. Without that, their economy would be shrinking.
Actually, North Korea seems to be better off in terms of mineral/industrial resoucres than South Korea. North Korea _does_ have less agricultural land, but an industrialized nation with significant mineral resources should be able to trade for food.
North Korea is a failed state because Kim Jong-Il is a moron. That's really the long and short of it. Kim Jong-Il is a tyrannical dictator who chooses to micromanage his economy, employing few/no autonomous buercrats. Even an genius would have significant problems micromanaging a command economy, and Kim Jong-Il is no genius; rather, he's a spoiled rotten brat with a tough secret police.
In otherwords, he doesn't care if his people starve to death, as long as they don't blame him.
WhiteWolf666 an exBush supporter. All you new-school,compassionate,save the children Republicans can rot in hell
"Where the fuck would you get an idea like the one you state?! Is it from the misconception that communism is good, and that all communists must be some sort of noble, refined type who only uses twice-recycled styrofoam cups for their espressos, villanized by the evil capitalist West?"
Either way it all depends on what side you're on and who's writing your history books and reporting your news, if you've ever read any chomsky you know the U.S. is just as dirty as many of its enemies, and with the way things are going right now in the US with bush and company, I'm sure history will find the US in many different ways just as evil as those it accuses of being evil.
Think about all the money spent on the IRAQ war that could have been used to help the US's own people. Think about all the immigrants US business's love while allowing illegals to drive their countrymen's wages down even further towards poverty.
Let's not even mention the U.S's greedy plans for cuba. They're not as overt with their oppression as other states, but in many ways the U.S. is just as evil in that it will not leave other countries (like cuba) the fuck alone.
Nah. I think organized religion holds the title for that one.
The problem with socialism is socialism. The problem with capitalism is capitalists.
As an astromoer I have to admit there is a tiny part of me that sees that image and thinks they're really lucky.
You are so boring that when I see you my feet go to sleep.