A report has been released stating that fewer than 1,000 internet users exist in North Korea. North Korea is the only country worldwide that effectively bans internet use.
According to Radio Free Asia (RFA), on the 6th, Singaporean data analysis agency DataReportal published the “Digital 2024 Global Report” containing this information.
The report revealed that, as of the beginning of this year, over 99.9% of the North Korean population is “disconnected” from the internet. Due to North Korean authorities blocking the inflow of external information, nearly the entire population of approximately 26.2 million cannot access the internet, making North Korea the country with the lowest internet connection rate among the countries surveyed.
The report explained that North Korea mainly uses an intranet for internal use called “Kwangmyong,” and the vast internet that can be connected globally is inaccessible to most North Korean residents.
RFA speculated that most of North Korea’s internet users are likely overseas residents and a few high-ranking elites.
According to a report released by the North Korean human rights organization People for Successful Corean Reunification, located in South Korea, at the end of last year, if a professional needs to use the internet in North Korea, they must undergo a complicated approval process.
The report mentioned that “once approved, one librarian must monitor what is being searched between two internet users, and the librarian’s fingerprints must be taken every 5 minutes.”
kukoo@news1.kr