Type of site | Technology analysis related toNorth Korea |
|---|---|
| Available in | English |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Created by | Martyn Williams |
| URL | www |
| Launched | 2010; 15 years ago (2010) |
| Current status | Active |
North Korea Tech is a US-basedblog authored by British journalist Martyn Williams which coversconsumer electronics and technology developments in theDemocratic People's Republic of Korea.[1][2][3] It was established in 2010.[4] North Korea Tech is based inWashington DC.[5][6][3] The site is affiliated with38 North.[7][8]
According to Williams, he was inspired to start the blog after a 15-year stint as aTokyo-based correspondent forIDG 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, andonline 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 byAgence France-Presse,[11]Vice Magazine,[12] andTechCrunch.[13] It has also been cited by South Korean media, such asYonhap andThe Dong-A Ilbo.[4]
North Korea Tech was the victim of aDDoS attack in early 2016.[14] On March 24, 2016, the site was censored in South Korea by theKorea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC) due to alleged violations of South Korea'sNational 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 theElectronic 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 ofHuman 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 fromOpen Net Korea.[16][17]
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