N. Korea Revives Domain Name to Build Online Presence

Added by Annika L. Krugel on January 15, 2011

The communist state of North Korea has as part of a campaign to increase its online presence, revived its .kp Internet domain name, an Internet expert said on Friday.

Martyn Williams, of the IT research group IDG, said in an interview with AFP that: “North Korea appears to be waking up to the power of the Internet and wants its own place on the global network.”

Williams noted that the measure has not yet translated into an immediate “expansion of propaganda online.”

Williams added that “So far there is no indication that people inside North Korea will be able to access the global Internet,” but he predicts that a .kp domain name will work towards creating a larger sense of national identity for websites.

Although the domain name was assigned back in 2007, it disappeared, for unknown reasons, towards the end of last year. It has now been revived through a joint venture with a Thai telecoms company.

South Korean authorities have blocked access from sites carrying the .kp domain, in line with its security law that prevents any unauthorised contact with the North.

North Korea has in recent months opened both Twitter and YouTube accounts; however these were soon hacked by South Korean users posting derogatory comments about the regime.