North Korea's IT world: isolated islands of information

On the streets of Pyongyang, May 1, a woman is using a mobile phone to call North Korea, a mysterious country with little internet access. Actions such as nuclear tests and threat-testing missiles have pushed the country to the brink of war and have made it the focus of national media attention. At the end of April, I took part in the first group tours after the resumption of North Korea's tour, and walked into North Korea and looked at the country from a technology enthusiast's point of view on a four-day journey. The North Korean trip under the cloud of war this February 12, North Korea announced a successful third nuclear test, the Korean peninsula has once again become the focus of attention of the international community. March 5, North Korea also announced that it will not recognize the Korean War Armistice Agreement, the Korean People's Army to completely stop the Panmunjom representative Ministry of the activities. Although the U.N. Security Council unanimously adopted resolution NO. 2094 to impose sanctions on the DPRK, it failed to prevent the situation from deteriorating. March 30, North Korea announced the Korean-Korean relations into a wartime state, a few days later the "Dance Water End" missile loaded on the launch pad, but also advised foreign diplomats in Pyongyang to withdraw from North Korea. The war seems to be on the verge. The cloud of war, coupled with the media in various countries, has allowed many tourists intending to travel to North Korea to abandon their travel plans for fear of personal safety, and the tourism industry in Dandong, Liaoning Province, has been hit. In mid-April, media reports said that the number of visitors to the DPRK was significantly lower than in previous years, and that the Dandong Tourism Bureau had given notice to suspend travel to the DPRK. Since North Korea has not yet opened individual travel, registration through travel agencies is the only way to travel to North Korea. I took part in a tour of Dandong, a travel agency organized by Dandong on April 28, and returned to Dandong after four days and three nights in North Korea. The travel agent's manager confirmed that the situation on the peninsula has serious impact on the travel to the DPRK: "(this time in previous years) is so flourishing that more than 100 people are sent every day." He said that our 17-person Regiment was the first of their travel agencies in recent times, and the passengers were afraid to come. The impact of the possible war on tourism is also reflected in visas. Although we are going to the DPRK for the purpose of sightseeing, but at present travel agencies can not handle the Korean tourist visa, so we get all the business visa. Compared to the previous North Korean tour group, our biggest difference is the age structure. "You are the youngest group I have ever taken." "During the trip, the Chinese team leader and the DPRK guide said so." According to their introduction, the past Chinese tour groups mostly by the old people to North Korea's nostalgia, the tense situation today so many such tourists are discouraged. But the cloud of war has attracted a group of young people who like to take risks. Members of our regiment come from Taiwan, who are under the age of 28, are engaged in different jobs, have no clear-cut political inclination, but have a strong curiosity about North Korea. There are almost all travel experiences abroad, and some people's passports are even covered with visas from various minority countries. Of course, the courage to go to North Korea at this time, or because the situation on the peninsula is not as tense as the outside rendering. "There will be no war," said the Chinese leader and several of the group's friends. After entering North Korea, we see the same scene as we had previously guessed--almost without feeling the breath of war. Along the rail line between Dandong and Pyongyang, near May, there is still little green in farmland. Most of the farmers are cycling from home to one area, and then groups on the farm. It is hard to see expression on their faces, no joy, no fear. In our passing several cities and scenic spots--new Sinuiju, Pyongyang, wonderful Xiangshan, Kaesong--we have seen the wedding in progress, the groom, the bride and friends and family have a relaxed demeanor, and sometimes a bright smile. At the center of the Korean-Korean military conflict, known as the "38 line" of Panmunjom toward the Han Fei military zone, the atmosphere is also very calm, do not see any signs of war will occur. We first visited the Armistice Memorial on the North Korean side of the demilitarized zone and then came to the "joint garrison" at the junction of the two countries, overlooking the South Korean territory. During our visit, only two South Korean soldiers observed us on the opposite building, without any abnormal action or the presence of American soldiers. In the capital Pyongyang, the street, the park, the children's palace inside and outside all have the child play figure. A group of youths played volleyball at the corner of Kim Il Sung Square, attracting many onlookers. In the evening, many people stand in front of the big screen outside the train station to watch the news, the surrounding restaurant also has a lot of people eating, drinking. Labour Labor Day is a legal holiday, coincides with the blue skies, people have to go out of the house, shopping, play, streets, subway stations are bustling. Although it is the first time to come to this country, but I believe that people's life and the usual indistinguishable. Li Yi is one of our team's North Korean tour guides. 31 years old, he came from the countryside, served eight years in the army, then went to college and began to be a tour guide two years ago. He was one of the most fluent Korean people we met during the course of the DPRK, singing in Chinese, and being able to use domestic buzzwords such as "collapse". Li Yi admits the peninsula is tense: "It's a wartime situation." "But he did not show any fear, and said that the Korean people's lives will not be affected by this atmosphere." "Our slogan is this: if we go to war tomorrow, we have to make the economic construction road this evening 12 o'clock." We're all set. We've been in this position for 65 years now, and that's always been the case. "Like most foreign tourists, we live in the International Hotel at the Horn Island in Pyongyang. This is one of only two restaurants in Pyongyang for foreign tourists, and it is the most upscale "premium" hotel in North Korea, roughly equivalent to a four-star hotel in China. It is located in the Datong River in the Horn Island, the view is very good, from the high point to the north overlooking the most of the city of Pyongyang. But it takes nearly half an hour to get from the hotel to the nearest main street, and it is better to isolate foreign tourists from ordinary residents of Pyongyang than the Koryo International Hotel near the train station. In the hotel's underground casino, we saw the Chinese waiter in charge of rolling the dice. He is from Dandong, is a "third", always speak with a warm smile, quite affinity. For whenHe was equally calm and not afraid of war, but said the number of visitors had fallen sharply over the past one months and that the casino business had been very cold. He joked: "I hope the war early, I can go home." "The hotel was very good, the breakfast was very good, the room was very clean and the restaurant was very good." However, as the situation in the peninsula eased, from the second night onwards, many European tourists continued to come to stay; we left the hotel before breakfast, the restaurant was overcrowded, the tourists lined up waiting for food and coffee.