The third episode of Digital Divide focuses on North Korea’s informal marketplaces, known as Jangmadang, and how they function as the backbone of everyday survival and commerce. Drawing on interviews with North Korean defectors, the episode shows how these markets emerged after the collapse of the public distribution system in the 1990s and now operate as a gray zone economy tolerated by the state. Grace and Prof. Kim will highlight the central role of cell phones in enabling trade, information sharing, smuggling, and logistics, as well as how corruption and COVID-19 have shaped daily life and business in one of the world’s most isolated countries.

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🔑 Check out UniKorea Foundation: https://www.unikoreafoundation.org/unikoreafoundation/

🇰🇷 Check out GW Institute for Korean Studies: https://gwiks.elliott.gwu.edu/

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The second episode of Digital Divide focuses on how mobile phones in North Korea provide personal connectivity while reinforcing strict state control. Although their introduction sparked excitement and sacrifice among citizens, phone usage is tightly monitored—with no chat rooms, heavy surveillance, and widespread self-censorship.

So why does the regime even allow cell phones?

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📱 Follow us on social media: https://linktr.ee/gwiks.elliott.gwu

🔑 Check out UniKorea Foundation: https://www.unikoreafoundation.org/unikoreafoundation/

🇰🇷 Check out GW Institute for Korean Studies: https://gwiks.elliott.gwu.edu/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The debut episode of Digital Divide explores North Korea’s evolving mobile ecosystem—from domestically made smartphones and new foldable models to strict controls over ownership, monitoring, and access to foreign media. The hosts highlight how phones have become central to daily life, with people engrossed in games and state-approved streaming despite constant surveillance. They also touch on smuggling networks, black-market devices, and efforts to block foreign signals.

Could North Korea eventually adapt to South Korea’s advanced digital landscape?

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📱 Follow us on social media: https://linktr.ee/gwiks.elliott.gwu

🔑 Check out UniKorea Foundation: https://www.unikoreafoundation.org/unikoreafoundation/

🇰🇷 Check out GW Institute for Korean Studies: https://gwiks.elliott.gwu.edu/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.