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Brits to teach Norks hacks about 'multimedia websites'. 5% of DPRK is in for a TREAT

Kim Jong-un, elites, academics only ones with 'net access

A group of North Korean journalists will visit the UK next year to "observe how multimedia websites work at British media companies".

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office-funded project Inside Out: Working in North Korea to connect its journalists to the internet world aims to give North Korean journalists a greater understanding of freedom of expression and information via the internet.

A pilot workshop was held in Pyongyang in October for 46 North Koreans, with a select number of attendees to visit the UK next year.

According to a report, over the last decade the regime has undergone a "digital revolution", with around one million users now signed up to its mobile phone network, Koryolink.

However, it's unlikely that the majority of the population will benefit from the latest fact-finding mission.

Internet access is still restricted to a limited few, such as universities or some members of the elite, and mainly to gather information on the US and South Korea. Home computers are not connected to the intranet system.

"Although this digital revolution is unprecedented, it impacts less than five per cent of the DPRK population," according to the report: A double-edged sword: information technology in North Korea.

However, the regime is reported to be keen to expand its IT infrastructure in order to attract more foreign investment, and import information that can help reform industry and expand the economy.

The country also appears to be making tentative steps toward social media usage. For example, Air Koryo, North Korea’s state-run airline, even has a Twitter account.

The airline, described as the worst in the world, has so far tweeted twice, the last time in 2012. ®

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