Internet and Fast Food in North Korea

english.chosun.com

9 points·lupin_sansei··2 comments

Hey, it's not just internet and fast food --- they've even got outsourcing (run by a Dutch company)! http://www.nkeconwatch.com/nk-uploads/nosotek-pricelist.pdf

Of course, there's a 40 to 60 euro per DAY markup if you'd like a programmer who is actually connected to the internet (by implication, someone who is "politically reliable" in North Korean terms).

That's amazing, thanks for linking to it. I was in North Korea in August for 5 days and I can confirm the costs reported here -- sending an email from the hotel would have cost me about 10 USD. Making a phone call to the US would have been more than 10 USD per minute. I guess that pays for the wiretap...

I have heard elsewhere that there are a few places with Internet connections, especially engineering universities. Our guides told us that they also have a wireless Web accessible from their cell phones, although I have no idea what kind of content could be on it.

Finally, a note: the article also confuses two fast-food places -- a couple of universities have had hamburgers on-campus for about 10 years now (ever since Kim Jong Il said that students should have "good, wholesome food" to help with studying) and a fast food place for the general public opened up last spring. I didn't get to go there, sadly.

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