Cyberactivism in North Korea explained

Cyberactivism^{[1] [2] [3]} in North Korea refers to activism carried out with the use of information technologies such as the Internet and the distribution of information by civil society^[4] typically outside of North Korea to initiate and/or support change from within North Korea.

Measures

• Media, information, and technologies can be smuggled or sent into North Korea
• Local IT infrastructure can be exploited
• Local IT infrastructure can be built (e.g. mesh networking)

Examples

See also: Balloon propaganda campaigns in Korea.

• Fighters for a Free North Korea, an activist group led by North Korean defector Park Sang-hak sent plastic bags with anti-Pyongyang leaflets, dollar bills and USB memory sticks into the country via helium balloons^{[5] [6]}
• According to Jeong Kwang-il, founder of the group No Chain, stealthy drones have been delivering SD cards and flash drives to North Korean residents since early 2015^{[7] [8]}
• In 2013, Anonymous started 'Operation Free Korea.'

Commentary

Jack David, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and former presidential deputy assistant secretary of defense for combating weapons of mass destruction, states that "by clinging to the hope that Pyongyang can be induced to give up its ambitions for nuclear weapons and long-range missiles, officials are distracted from pursuing policies that might actually enable the people of North Korea to end the Kim dynasty" and that America's goal should be regime change. He suggests the next administration to "deny North Korean actors access to international financial institutions, and support the efforts of refugees (in South Korea and elsewhere) to pass information about the Free World to friends and family in North Korea".^[9]

See also

• North Korea and weapons of mass destruction
• Censorship in North Korea
  • Internet in North Korea
• Propaganda in North Korea
• Human rights in North Korea
• Liberty in North Korea
  • Technology transfer
• Plausible deniability
• Netizen
• International security

External links

• Here's How Activists Smuggle Friends Into North Korea, WIRED

Notes and References

1. Book: Ziccardi. Giovanni. Resistance, Liberation Technology and Human Rights in the Digital Age. Springer Science & Business Media. 9789400752764. en. 2012-09-28.
2. Book: Abbott. Jason. The Political Economy of the Internet in Asia and the Pacific: Digital Divides, Economic Competitiveness, and Security Challenges. Praeger. 9780275980214. en. 2004-01-01.
3. Web site: The Transformation of Cyberactivism and Democratic Governance in Korea: The Role of Technology, Civil Society, and Institutions. 22 April 2017. en.
4. Book: Kim. Hyuk-Rae. Kim. Hyŏng-nae. State-centric to Contested Social Governance in Korea: Shifting Power. Routledge. 9780415587457. en. 2013.
5. News: North Korean defector-activists step up propaganda war. Financial Times. 28 August 2016 . 22 April 2017.
6. Web site: The people flying balloons to North Korea. 22 April 2017.
7. Web site: Activists are using drones to rain flash drives full of TV shows on North Korea. Digital Trends. 22 April 2017. 26 May 2016.
8. Web site: Park. Madison. Activists: Drones drop forbidden media into N. Korea. 25 May 2016 . CNN. 22 April 2017.
9. Web site: Miller. Judith. What can US do about North Korea? Six options after 'hydrogen bomb' test. Fox News. 23 April 2017. 7 January 2016.