Russian Company Is Now the Major Provider of North Korea's Internet Connection
It seems North Korea has added a new ally when it comes to getting connected online.
According to Dyn Research, a group involved in monitoring international internet traffic, TransTeleCom has started providing internet connection to the Asian country as early as 9:08 a.m. GMT on Sunday. TransTeleCom is a Russian telecommunications company that appears to be handling around 60 percent of North Korea's internet traffic.
The remaining 40 percent of the internet traffic still comes from their first and only other provider, Unicom, which is based in China, Reuters reported.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
In addition, 38 North, which is the Johns Hopkins North Korea monitoring project, also confirmed the development, as per a Fortune report. The timing of the North Korean–Russian internet partnership could not have come at a more precarious situation. Over the last few weeks, the tension between North Korea and the United States have risen.
Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump have been trading barbs and insults in relation to North Korea's nuclear and missile tests. Furthermore, the Washington Post reported last week that the U.S. government has launched a series of cyber attacks to limit internet connection in North Korea. With the latest tie-up with Russia, the country will likely have a better defense against such cyber attacks.
Moreover, President Trump also sent a directive instructing diplomats from other countries to mention the activities of North Korea in talks with foreign interlocutors. The instructions were clear: urge them to cut all ties with Pyongyang.
"We made clear the door was open for talks before the president had even signed off on this strategy, but North Korea continued to launch missiles, continued to kidnap Americans to keep as hostages," said a senior administration official.
"All the things they did when we were early in the administration and sending signals that the door was open to talks."
In addition, the directive also tasked the Treasury Department to come up with a set of sanctions against entities from North Korea, including foreigners and individuals who have struck a deal with the country.
It will be interesting to see how the U.S. will react in terms of upping the ante in reducing North Korea's internet access.
