North Korea

The Internet officially does not exist in the world's most isolated country, but a handful of privileged people are allowed to go online through the phone system or via satellite. The regime also uses the Internet for its own foreign communications and in early 2002 even set up a website (Arirang) to attract tourists. China hosts the official DPRKorea Infobank site (in Korean, English, Japanese and Chinese), that describes the delights of the North Korea. A dozen other official sites, including the government's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), are hosted in Japan or China. The KCNA site contains descriptions and articles about the "Dear Leader" Kim Jong-il and happy peasants and workers. There is no mention of the country's famine situation. A North Korean scientific magazine, The World of Science, printed a diagram in 2000 showing a plan to instal filters between the Internet and the country's Intranet to control material passing between the two. This ambiguous attitude to the Internet is denounced by human rights organisations using the Web to fight the repressive regime. One of the most active is the Citizens' Alliance for North Korean Human Rights, which is based in South Korea and heavily involved in helping those who manage to escape from the country via China or Russia. Its site contains many reports on the situation. Links: The Citizens' Alliance for North Korean Human Rights A government site to promote tourism The government news agency KCNA