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

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 …

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  1. Pen-y-gors

    errrm....

    Why is our government spending money on helping the norks improve their offensive capability (by improving their networks) and helping them stomp on their own people? Do they really think that after showing nork journalists about how to use the twatbook that they will suddenly rise up and overthrow the chubby-one-with-the-bad-haircut?

    8 3 Reply
    1. Ted Treen
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      Devil

      Re: errrm....

      "...the chubby-one-with-the-bad-haircut..."

      Is that the Dear Leader, or his sister?

      2 0 Reply
    2. Anonymous Coward
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      Anonymous Coward

      Re: errrm....

      Assuming they actually go back.

      2 0 Reply
    3. Donkey Molestor X
      Reply Icon

      Re: errrm....

      At this point I don't think there's much risk of North Koreans figuring out a way to oppress their people more than they've already oppressed them. A strong people make many bricks, weak people make fewer bricks, dead people make no bricks. After 3 generations of this even the North Koreans might realize a different tactic is needed.

      As for the power of "twatbook" as you so ingenuously call it: read up on "soft power" and "weapons of cultural mass destruction". Wouldn't you rather fling blue jeans, rock music, and other weaponized memes rather than MIRVs?

      HOW ABOUT A NICE GAME OF CHESS?

      4 0 Reply
    4. noboard
      Reply Icon

      Re: errrm....

      Have you not been keeping up with the IT world? A few years ago big companies started off-shoring all their work to India, this is now getting so expensive it's almost worth moving it back in house. Our brilliant politicians are lining up North Korea as the next sweat-shop to out-source the work to.

      A forward thinking and genius move by our glorious leaders, that has no way of backfiring*

      *at least not until they've moved on to become a director somewhere and can blame westminster for all the problems.

      2 0 Reply
    5. Anonymous Blowhard
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      Re: errrm....

      "Why is our government spending money on helping the norks"

      It's obviously an exchange of ideas; the Norks want to get hold of western technology and the British Government wants to know how to make the UK as attractive to immigrants as the DPRK.

      5 0 Reply
  2. Sgt_Oddball

    because the bongster wills it.

    Because the digital revolution should logically carry on the cultural revolution..

    0 0 Reply
  3. Frankee Llonnygog

    Or, they could just read the documentation

    recently acquired from Sony

    3 0 Reply
  4. PleebSmash
    Thumb Up

    hold your tweets

    "The airline... has so far tweeted twice, the last time in 2012."

    I think they're onto something.

    1 0 Reply
  5. frank ly

    Cultural Exchange

    Will The Register be hosting any of these brave pioneers, to show them what is possible? Imagine their reaction of seeing the consequences of letting a thousand commentards bloom.

    2 0 Reply
  6. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Up

    What is the Korean for "Jolly"?

    jolly: n., A day out from work, ostensibly on some kind of work-based mission but actually just going for a laugh. (British English)

    1 0 Reply
  7. Wolfclaw
    Mushroom

    Stop Wasting My Licence Fee On NK Jollies

    After they leave, BBC goes offline due to masisve hack and malware infection. Now I wonder who could have done that ?

    0 0 Reply
  8. Stevie

    Bah!

    I would have thought securing a reliable food supply, raising the health care standards and providing a twenty first century education for the populace were waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay ahead of "broadband in every hovel".

    Of course, once your people are well-fed, healthy and literate they will rebel. It is the way of things.

    0 0 Reply
  9. John Tserkezis

    "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."

    North Korea, welcome to the 80's, just letting you know what you're in for:

    You'll need to strap yourself in for when the porn revolution hits.

    Oh, and when you hit that "Good times" virus, ignore it, it's fake.

    Stay away from that myspace thing, I have a feeling it's going to spawn child processes that are worse.

    It's not all bad, you're going to find many creative ways to make use of all those AOL installation CDs.

    Enjoy!

    0 0 Reply
  10. Mephistro

    " ...even has a Twitter account"

    Yep! A true Twitter account, with their own followers, the sixty four of them! They could put some adds in there and they would be swimming in money, at least compared to the rest of the North Koreans! (minus the ruling elite, of course ;-)

    0 0 Reply
  11. tojb

    There is probably no "freedom through cultural exchange" happening here. NK is an outsourcing destination for IT and other stuff, has been for a long time.

    http://www.pcworld.com/article/198555/the_worlds_most_unusual_outsourcing_destination.html

    Oddly, a lot of hand-drawn french animation is produced over there. Capitalism does not make you free.

    0 0 Reply

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