North Korea Tech

North Korea Tech is a US-based blog authored by British journalist Martyn Williams which covers consumer electronics and technology developments in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.[1][2][3] It was established in 2010.[4] North Korea Tech is based in Washington DC.[5][6][3] The site is affiliated with 38 North.[7][8]

North Korea Tech
Type of site
Technology analysis related to North Korea
Available inEnglish
Country of originUnited States
Created byMartyn Williams
URLwww.northkoreatech.org
Launched2010 (2010)
Current statusActive

According to Williams, he was inspired to start the blog after a 15-year stint as a Tokyo-based correspondent for IDG News Service during which he observed the growing "wealth, knowledge and prosperity gap between North and South Korea." About his interest in the country, he said "North Korea appears today an even more difficult country to understand than the USSR ever was, thus my interest as a journalist."[6] As of 2016, the website received about 20,000 visits a month.[4]

The site has covered North Korean cell phones, satellites, internet domains, operating systems, missile technology, and online TV services.[1][9] North Korea Tech has often been cited by international media, government reports, and academics researching North Korea.[3][4][10] This has included coverage by Agence France-Presse,[11] Vice Magazine,[12] and TechCrunch.[13] It has also been cited by South Korean media, such as Yonhap and The Dong-A Ilbo.[4]

North Korea Tech was the victim of a DDoS attack in early 2016.[14] On March 24, 2016, the site was censored in South Korea by the Korea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC) due to alleged violations of South Korea's National Security Act, a law which bans "praising, sympathizing or cooperating with North Korea". Williams appealed the ban, saying the site "doesn't seek to glorify or support North Korea".[3][4] The KCSC said that the site was blocked due to linking to North Korean websites and posting videos of North Korean state media. Jillian York of the Electronic Frontier Foundation stated that "The blocking of North Korea Tech is, on face, an overbroad application of a law that in itself is in direct contrast to the principle of freedom of expression".[3] Phil Robertson of Human Rights Watch Asia called the block "harmful to rights and counter-productive".[15] An appeal of the ban was successful in 2017 with legal assistance from Open Net Korea.[16][17]

References
  1. "North Korea Tech". NK News. Archived from the original on January 26, 2014. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
  2. Moon, Sung-hui; Gerin, Roseanne (April 27, 2015). "North Korea Ramps Up Circulation of National Daily". Radio Free Asia. Translated by Yunju Kim. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  3. Power, John (June 22, 2017). "North Korea Tech and the internet censorship of the most wired country on Earth". NK News. Archived from the original on June 22, 2017. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
  4. Lee, Youkyung (April 5, 2016). "UK journalist to appeal as Seoul blocks his site on N. Korea". The Associated Press. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
  5. Smith, Hazel (March 16, 2017). "Review: North Korea's Hidden Revolution: How the Information Underground is Transforming a Closed Society, by Jieun Baek". Times Higher Education. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  6. Williams, Martyn. "About North Korea Tech". North Korea Tech. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
  7. "Affiliates". 38 North. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
  8. Kasulis, Kelly (December 4, 2017). "North Korean college coders beat Stanford University in a 2016 competition. Here's why that matters". Mic. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  9. Choi, Ha-young (May 4, 2016). "North Korea Tech website to remain blocked in S.Korea". NK News. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  10. O'Carroll, Chad (April 25, 2017). "Court ruling could see block of North Korea Tech website reversed in South Korea". NK News. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  11. "North Korea unveils 'secure, homemade' smartphone". Sydney Morning Herald. August 14, 2013. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
  12. Mead, Derek (2013). "Anonymous' Attack on North Korea Didn't Go As Well As Planned". Vice Magazine. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
  13. Shu, Catherine (March 26, 2013). "North Korea Cuts Off 3G Access For Foreign Visitors Just Weeks After Allowing It". TechCrunch. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
  14. Williams, Martyn (January 30, 2016). "DDOS over, North Korea Tech is back". North Korea Tech. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  15. O'Carroll, Chad (April 4, 2016). "Two N.Korea-focused websites blocked by S.Korean government". NK News. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  16. Williams, Martyn (November 18, 2017). "North Korea Tech wins Internet blocking case". North Korea Tech. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
  17. "South Korea". Freedom House. 2021. Retrieved November 4, 2021.


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