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North Korea Halts 3G Internet Access After One Month

Posted by Soulskill on from the just-testing-to-make-sure-the-rest-of-the-world-is-still-evil dept.

redletterdave writes "After just one month online, North Korea has pulled the plug on its only 3G data network, which was previously made available for tourists to access the Internet starting on Feb. 22. The North Korean government did not explain why its 3G network has been shut off, but given the raised level of international interest in the country's activities (the country is facing UN sanctions after its third nuclear test last month) and how it severed its final communication line with South Korea on Wednesday, the government likely had a change of heart about its loosening communication restrictions. That said, as with most things in North Korea, we may never know the real answer."

3 of 63 comments (clear)

  1. Their only network engineer... by Midnight_Falcon · · Score: 3, Interesting
    ...probably got caught looking up the term "democracy" on the internet and all his family and friends sent off to gulag, so when network troubles happened after a month, they just let it go down.

    Too bad Kim Jong Il isn't still around. Last I heard, he claimed to be an "internet expert," and he was rumored to be an expert in all things..

  2. Re:Hold up by SIGBUS · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Obsolete by now, but still a good window into the weirdness of North Korea: http://www.vice.com/the-vice-guide-to-travel/vice-guide-to-north-korea-1-of-3 (warning: autoplay video)

    If you're from someplace that actually has diplomatic relations with them, it might be easier. Then there's this guy, who went with a friend via the Russian border (normally off-limits to Western tourists), spent 36 hours in North Korea without a guide, and somehow managed to stay out of jail: http://vienna-pyongyang.blogspot.com/ (long travelogue including journey across Russia)

    --
    Oh, no! You have walked into the slavering fangs of a lurking grue!
  3. Likely they were finding citizens with cell phones by Koreantoast · · Score: 5, Interesting

    My guess is that they were finding more and more of their own citizens with "tourist" cellphones, and the idea of so many with relatively unrestricted access to the outside world was simply not worth the risk.