North Korea Loses its Link to the Internet

http://www.scpr.org/news/2014/12/22/48816/north-korea-skipping-un-security-council-meeting/

89.3KPCC

(author not mentioned)

On December 22nd, North Korea’s online access was "totally down." They experienced internet blackout for nine-and-half-hour before connected back online late Monday.

The White House and the State Department has spurned any involvement of U.S government in the internet disruption.

­The Internet outages came just days after President Barack Obama blamed the North Korean government for hacking Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. Obama did not say the United States would deliver a proportional response, so it is not assured the lost of internet was U.S retribution yet.

North Korea strongly denies role in Sony Pictures hacking. However, the country has for months condemned the "The Interview," a Sony's satirical comedy about a plot to assassinate Kim Jung Eun, North Korea president. After a group of hackers made terroristic threats against those who attempted to exhibit the film, Sony canceled plans to screen the movie.

Personal Opinion

North Korea’s internet lost its link on Monday, just days after U.S. President Barack Obama mentioned a "respond" to the communist country's unproven hack of Sony corporations.

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I don't think this could have been done by an anonymous group of guerrilla hackers. A more credible and logical approach would be a retributive strike from the United States as predicted. The United States denies any involvement, but Obama had already shown intention of corresponding response for the Sony hacking problem, so it is not weird to see an immediate reaction. Other possibilities are just a technical glitch or defensive operation from the isolated communist country itself.

North Korea is one of the most isolated countries in the world. Only few North Koreans have access to computers or any electronic devices that use internet. Even those who can use internet connection are limited to a domestic intranet. Though North Korea has broadband Internet available, only small, high executive positions of the population has access to the World Wide Web. Realistically the impact of this event to North Korean civilians is to be insignificant because of their low dependence on the internet.

 

(North Korea night satellite view. Compared to South Korea, there is no electricity)