Recent Developments in the Information Technology Sector in North Korea: An NGO Perspective
Abstract
North Korea lives in a tumultuous time. The arduous march of the late 1990s is over. Now, the government urges the people to devote themselves to building a powerful and prosperous nation. Most of the country is still closed to outsiders, and foreigners are not allowed to visit many important industrial and agricultural districts, let alone the hinterland in North Korea. It is not an exaggeration to say that in the countryside, as a rule, government offices, schools, and hospitals continue to rely on broken and/or malfunctioning equipment. Most work units do not have televisions or telephones let alone faxes or computers. Times are still very difficult for these rural areas, and humanitarian concerns still need to be addressed there. In some cases, it feels like the 1950s, like living in an episode of the television show M*A*S*H. Observations herein are primarily focused on the city of Pyongyang and the privileged two million people who live there. One noticeable change, particularly since the June 2000 Summit in Pyongyang, is the increased number of auto vehicles. In the late 1990s, streets were almost deserted except for pedestrians. In 2002, downtown streets have many more cars, primarily Japanese-made automobiles (noticeable because of their right hand drive), and these are not just White Toyota Landcruisers with the U.N. Logo emblazoned on the doors. Sometimes, around 5:30 pm, there is actually traffic congestion, whereas previously one would usually have the road very much to oneself except for the traffic controllers who stand in the middle of intersections at all times of the year. In addition, growing consumerism reveals increased activities of the black marketeers who trade in antiques, gold, and second-hand consumer electronics. On the black market, one can even find a 32-inch Sony television on sale for about US$ 2,000.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 2005
- Accession Number
- AD1032400
Entities
People
- Lawrence J. Ho
Organizations
- Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies