CELL PHONES IN NORTH KOREA Has North Korea Entered the Telecommunications Revolution? - Yonho Kim
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Total Pages | : 0 |
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ISBN-10 | : OCLC:1374515817 |
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Rating | : 4/5 (17 Downloads) |
Book excerpt: Why are North Koreans so eager to get cell phones? What is the impact of growing cell phone usage on the economy and society? Which segments of the population are most influenced by cell phones and have seen the biggest changes in their lifestyles accordingly? Meanwhile, mobile telecommunications service is a double-edged sword for the North Korean government. [...] On the other hand, historically, cell phones tend to strengthen individuality and social movements, provide an opportunity for dissent and eventually lead to political upheaval, such as the 2001 "text-message revolution" in the Philippines and the Arab Spring in the Middle East. [...] The second broker physically aligns the microphone of each phone with the earphone of the other phone so the remitter and recipient can talk to each other and confirm the remittance.63 Jae-pyong Seo, Secretary-General of the Committee for the Democratization of North Korea, says that when the real time "international" call is not available, the recipient has the broker in town record a confirmatio. [...] Again, the second broker physically aligns the microphone of each phone with the earphone of the other cell phone, so the remitter can hear the recorded message.64 According to Chosun Ilbo reporting, in early 2013, North Korea decided to allow international calls in the Rajin- Sonbong (Rason) SEZ near the Chinese border, in a bid to attract foreign investment.65 Dr. [...] Cell phones and texting played an important role in the "People Power" revolutions of 1986 and 2001 in the Philippines.82 Effective use of social media on cell phones was a crucial element of the Arab Spring, the spread of pro-democracy movements in North Africa and the Middle East starting in late 2010.