North Koreans given internet access for first time already have dodgy search histories

7 Nov 2024

Sarah Hooper Posted on November 7, 2024, at 8:37 AM | Updated on November 7, 2024, at 6:11 PM

According to reports, many North Korean troops stationed in Russia to support Vladimir Putin have started exploring a new pastime after gaining unrestricted access to the internet.

North Korean internet - Figure 1 — Photo Metro

A contact from the Financial Times reported that a certain individual mentioned that troops stationed in Russia are excessively consuming pornography.

Gideon Rachman, the chief foreign affairs commentator at the Financial Times, stated, “North Korean troops sent to Russia have never had free access to the internet until now. Consequently, they are indulging in a great deal of pornography.”

Around 12,000 soldiers have been deployed to Russia to support Putin's campaign in Ukraine.

A representative from the US Department of Defense stated that they haven't been able to confirm any online activities related to North Korea occurring within Russia.

Internet access in North Korea is limited solely to foreign visitors and government personnel. Regular citizens can only connect to ‘Kwangmyong,’ which is a tightly controlled internal network.

In 2016, a breach enabled internet users to tap into North Korea's intranet, exposing a tightly controlled platform that highlighted Kim Jong-Un's visits to fruit farms in a positive light.

The website was incredibly poor by 1990s internet standards, featuring only 28 sites that were all government-controlled. These included a social networking site (Friend.com.kp) and a cooking website (Cooks.org.kp).

While it's uncertain whether soldiers are truly indulging in excessive pornography, those deployed to Russia will experience liberties they haven't enjoyed back in their homeland as they integrate into Putin's military.

Last month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged his allies to be open and proactive, stating that everyone around the globe shares a common goal of bringing the invasion to an end rather than letting it drag on. He emphasized the need to confront Russia and its supporters decisively.

"If North Korea is able to get involved in a conflict in Europe, it clearly indicates that the pressure on this regime is not nearly strong enough."

Two weeks ago, North Korea rejected claims that it had deployed troops to support Russia in its war in Ukraine, describing the recent reports as ‘baseless rumors.’ Meanwhile, the Kremlin dismissed these claims as ‘false information.’

In June, during a summit in Pyongyang, Kim Jong-un and Putin established a partnership that features a mutual defense agreement to protect each other in the event of any acts of aggression directed at either nation.

However, in the last year, there have been indications that North Korea has provided arms to Russia in return for military assistance and economic aid.

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