Internet in Korea for pennies. South Korea cellular conditions. Russian Korea. Local Internet providers and mobile communications in South Korea

Mobile communications in Korea

IN South Korea a different mobile communication standard than in Russia and Europe - in Korea the CDMA and IMT2000 standards apply, while we are accustomed to GSM standard. However, you may not notice this difference if you have a mobile phone that supports 3G communications (and this is almost all modern devices). The connection will work if roaming is enabled. Those who want to save on tariffs for international calls can purchase a SIM card from a local operator (KT, Olleh, SK Telecom or LG Telecom). This can only be done on the third day of your stay in Korea (you need a passport with a stamp with the date of arrival in Korea). Most cheap tariff costs approximately ₩5000 for a month of calls + ₩10000 for a SIM card. You need to pay separately for mobile Internet.

If your mobile phone does not support 3G, then, sadly, it will not work in Korea. However, this is not as scary as it might seem. There is a service that offers to rent a mobile phone (usually an iPhone) that works on the Korean network. You can purchase a mobile phone for rent right at the airport - this map shows the places where the corresponding services are provided. Estimated price ₩3000-4000 per day. You will need to leave your phone as collateral.

In addition, you can call home from a landline phone or from a pay phone located on the street. You can pay for a call at a machine using special telephone cards (sold in stores and hotels) or coins. The procedure for dialing a Russian phone number for a call from Korea: 001 (002 or 008) - 7 - area code - subscriber's phone number.

Telephone numbers that may be useful in Korea:

• Police - 112
• Fire service - 119
• Ambulance medical care — 119
• Ambulance for foreigners - (02) 790–7561
• Tourist information - 1330

Calls can also be made using popular Internet applications: Skype, WhatsApp, Telegram, Weibo or their Korean equivalent - Kakao talk. To do this, you will need to connect to a high-speed Internet source.

If you need Internet access constantly, you can purchase it for rent. wi-fi router. Just like a mobile phone, you can rent it directly from or at the branches of local telecom operators. Estimated price ₩3500-8000 for each day of using the router. You will need to leave ₩200,000 as a deposit. A card to pay for the router can be purchased at small chain stores (CU, Mini Stop, 7-eleven, GS25, etc.) or at the appropriate branch of the local telecom operator.

You can also connect paid wi-fi on your phone, which will cost approximately ₩1000 for each hour of Internet use or ₩2000 per day. To do this, you will need to connect to the appropriate network on your phone and buy wi-fi access on the Internet page that opens.

Mikhail Karpov

Now there is mourning in North Korea, which began on the day and will continue for a hundred days. During this time, Koreans are strictly prohibited from using mobile phones, and those who violate this rule will be tried as war criminals. However, wait... In North Korea there is cell phones? It turns out there is. And this is not the first time they have been banned.

North Korean authorities first began providing mobile communications in 2002. However, be very careful: when a big explosion occurred in 2004 railway, whose target was said to be Kim Jong Il, mobile communications were again banned, and phones already sold were recalled. Either the explosion was carried out with the help of a mobile phone, or they were afraid that phones were helping opponents of the regime.

Nevertheless, it is impossible to completely resist progress, so since then mobile communications still leaked into North Korea again. The ban was lifted in 2008, and today there are more than a million registered mobile phone users in the country. It is provided by the operator Orascom, which covers the countries of the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa (in particular, Zimbabwe). Of course, calls can only be made within the country. It is also impossible to reach the state of the victorious Juche idea from the outside.

Phone prices in North Korea in lately fall, and the proportion of the population that has them grows accordingly. In Pyongyang, the average cost of a simple cell phone is $250 (a year ago – $280), and a sophisticated “folding phone” ranges from $400 to $380. Despite the high cost, more than sixty percent of Pyongyang residents aged between 20 and 50 already own a mobile phone. This is amazing considering that the average monthly salary in the country is about $18.

One person is allowed to have no more than one phone. The device is “tied” to a specific citizen, and he pays only his bills, and only upon presentation of an identity card. It is quite difficult to get a phone through official means, so many people buy phones smuggled from Russia or China. In this case, of course, you have to pay a bribe. Another problem is that not all smuggled phones work with Orascom, since the frequency on which the signal is received was deliberately chosen to be different from that used in China. On the other hand, in border regions, residents illegally use services Chinese operators– where Chinese cell towers are “finishing off”.

Mobile communications are available mainly in developed regions of the country, and primarily in Pyongyang. Of course, for many it is simply not available due to cost, and many continue to be content with landline phones.

Well, returning to the problem raised at the beginning of the note, it must be said that “they will really be judged according to the laws of war” for violating the hundred-day mourning - these are not just words. Here's the proof: in 2010, a military factory worker paid heavily for an illegal cell phone. For some time, he managed to hide the fact that he was calling a friend in South Korea and talking about how much rice costs and how life is in the country. Then he got caught. Shot.

South Korea is an unsolved mystery for our tourists, which beckons to explore it. Here, unusual traditions and modernity are surprisingly combined. Tourists are attracted to South Korea by its magnificent nature - the sea with clean beaches, numerous mineral springs, picturesque mountains with ski resorts. The local architecture, palaces and Buddhist monasteries, fortresses, museums, sculptures and much more are also fascinating. The local population always welcomes tourists with joy and pride; Koreans are very hospitable and friendly.

Local Internet providers and mobile communications in South Korea

The main feature of mobile communications in South Korea is that the holy CDMA standard, which is unusual for Russians, operates here, in contrast to the familiar GSM.

There are three main local mobile operator in South Korea:

– KT (Olleh!)
– SK Telecom
– LG U Plus

The most informative website is from the KT company. Moreover, this is the only mobile operator, which provides foreigners with the service of purchasing a SIM card, and not just renting it, like other operators. However, a SIM card purchased with a foreign passport can only be used by a tourist for three months.

Basically, mobile operators in Korea offer tourists rental various devices– such as phones, routers and tablets. The cost of such a service is the same for all operators - about $3 per day.

Russian tourists can also rent a mobile Internet service. Cost of the service, in standard rates, is 0.28 KRW per 0.5 kilobyte. Of course, it’s quite expensive and extremely inconvenient. There is also the opportunity to choose Internet packages of different sizes, for a period of no more than thirty days.

Mobile operator KT has one day unlimited Internet costs 5 thousand KRW, from SK Telecom – 6 thousand. You can also rent a router or modem from these operators.
Wi-Fi zones are available everywhere in South Korea. And in transport, and in hotels, and just on the street. Tourists can also use the services of numerous Internet cafes.

You won't find many pay phones on the streets. They are mainly concentrated at train stations, airports and travel agencies. To pay for the conversation, tourists can use credit cards, telephone cards, or simply coins.

Roaming tariffs in South Korea

To avoid the fuss and confusion with connecting to Korean telecom operators, we advise you to puzzle over this issue before departure and choose a travel package service from Russian operators mobile communications.

Mobile Internet services in South Korea are provided by the following operators:

• Beeline – offers its customers mobile Internet for 90 rubles/MB.
• For MTS users - this service will cost 300 rubles/30 MB (10 rubles/MB)
• The Megafon operator will connect you to the Network for - 829 rubles / 30 MB (27.5 rubles / MB) or 329 rubles / 10 MB (32.9 rubles / MB)
• If you choose Internet from Comfort Way, it will cost you 1.9 €/MB (~147 RUR/MB)
• And the Tele2 company will provide you with communication for 50 rubles / MB
• You can also use Globalsim tourist SIM cards.

Profitable mobile communications and mobile Internet in South Korea

Mobile operator "Globalsim" provides the service mobile Internet in almost all countries of the world. In this case, as a rule, clients do not need to pay for incoming calls. Using Globalsim you pay $0.39 per minute. The operator "Globalsim" provides profitable Internet for tourists:
Smart Data 1– for $19 you get 1 GB of internet
Smart Data 2– for $35 you get 2 GB of internet
You can also activate the option for just $1 for a year and enjoy unlimited access to the Internet and pay only $0.02 per megabyte. With it, you can share the joyful moments of your travels, emotions and colorful shots with your friends and family, without worrying about the budget allotted for your trip!

In many countries, the Internet is limited, in some it either does not exist at all, or people are so poor that they do not even know about its existence. But what's wrong with a country that is actively developing nuclear technology (and this involves a lot of technical progress), but has great limitations? There is Internet, but it is so limited that by our standards we can assume that it simply does not exist. Yes, and it is accessible to a few people. So why is the Internet banned? We will try to answer this question in as much detail as possible.

Is there internet in North Korea?

Of course there is. But unlike most countries, here it is a government propaganda tool. Its only goal is to serve the interests of the authorities, and not to provide access to the Internet to citizens. The latter do not have access to it, and if they do, it is extremely limited. Citizens get most of their information about world events from newspapers or television.

However, if you believe the statements of experts studying the problems of this closed state, recently there has been a slight opening of the “Iron Curtain”. To some extent, this may also affect the Internet in North Korea.

On at the moment It's hard to say how many North Koreans have access to the Internet. However, in 2013, 1,200 IP addresses were recorded that accessed the Internet from North Korea. Officially, the government allows access to the Network to party officials, embassies of other countries, universities, propagandists and foreign economic figures. Also, some people from the circle of leader Kim Jong-un also have access to the Internet. This is regarding the World Wide Web, however ordinary people do not have access to it. But they can use Kwangmyeon, North Korea’s Internet within the country. This network does not go beyond the “digital borders” of the state.

"Gwangmyeon"

The North Korean authorities solved the problem of access to the Internet and information radically - they simply “cut off” the Internet throughout the entire country. Instead, an internal network was created, which was called "Kwangmen". This network is available to those few citizens who have computers, but the majority simply do not have them due to the very high cost of such equipment.

This “analog” can only vaguely resemble a classical network. Yes, there are chat rooms, forums, entertainment sites (about two or three dozen of them), but even there there is no smell of freedom. According to experts on North Korea, all information in Gwangmyeon is read and analyzed by censors. All means all, without exception.

How does their network work?

Does this mean that the Internet has been banned in North Korea? Partly yes, because the presence of an internal network, albeit throughout the country, is not at all that endless information space, which you and I are very familiar with. There is even a special institution in North Korea - Korean computer center. The task of this center is to upload “fresh stuff” obtained from the real Internet onto the network. This center has a list of acceptable sites from which they take content and upload it to Kwangmyeon.

The citizens of the country themselves understand that there are computers and a certain network. They know that they can click the mouse and see some interesting things, but nothing more. Most of the sites in Gwangmen are educational institutions or enterprises. But recently the network has been developing, and sites are appearing in English and even Russian.

Internet censorship

Please note that the Center computer information plays a key role in the development of this network. It is he who uploads data to Kwangmyeon at the request of various institutions. However, the content offered to users first undergoes very strict censorship checks.

If we draw a modern analogy, then "Gwangmyeon" is more like electronic library, where the user can do practically nothing. However, it is possible to download books that are necessarily checked for censorship by “overseers” and read them on Samjiyon tablets. These tablets for North Korea are specially produced by China. There are also news sites on the Korean Internet that to a greater extent promote communism. Some publish articles about science. There's even one search engine and commerce, which allows you to run your own business. Chats and emails are attached - there you can communicate with each other and exchange songs.

Software

Considering the fact that the DPRK is a very poor country with an average worker's salary of $4, it is very rare to come across a computer. But residents with their own PCs also exist, although they are few. Used on computers operating system Red Star OS, which is a shell of the popular free Linux. Latest version This OS resembles Mac OS. Internet access in North Korea is provided through Mozilla browser Firefox, which has its own name - "Nenara". There is a mail system, a text editor and even some games.

Access to the real big Internet

As you already understand, most North Korean residents only have access to censored copies of sites and are always within their Gwangmyeon network. And most citizens do not have computers at all, but scientific laboratories, institutes, and Internet cafes have access. But it’s very difficult to buy your own computer, because importing equipment from abroad is prohibited (you can be put in jail there even for a DVD with harmless South Korean TV series), and the state company “Morning Panda” produces its own PCs, but it produces only 2000 copies per year.

But even despite this, the Internet in North Korea is available through a cable stretched from Pyongyang to China. About two thousand people throughout the country have access to it. In fact, China is a big firewall for Korea, which gives rise to many restrictions and prohibitions. And only high-ranking government officials and a narrow circle of specialists who need it for their work have access to it. According to user reviews, the speed of such Internet is very slow, and they connect to it through prohibited computers, including American ones Apple. The entire country of 25 million has 1024 IP addresses.

Internet for authorities

Considering the above, it is completely incorrect to say that North Korea lives without the Internet. It exists, but with huge restrictions for citizens. But the authorities can use it “to the fullest.” In particular, for propaganda. As soon as Kim Jong-un came to power, his state's presence on the Internet grew. IN social networks A video was actively disseminated about the residents of the DPRK.

There is also a theory (or is it a fact?) that the DPRK uses the Network to carry out cyber attacks. North Korean hackers are believed to be responsible for the Sony hack. Well, in general, the Internet creates a high status for the North Korean elite.

How do citizens “get” the Internet in North Korea?

The reluctance of the authorities to open the Internet to citizens of their country is understandable. It’s just that the information that users can find there contradicts their propaganda. However, to survive, sooner or later you will have to open up.

If China has the “Great Internet Wall”, which blocks sites banned in the PRC, then the DPRK has its own analogue, which is commonly called the “Mosquito Net”, which gives access only to basic information.

As it turned out, it is very difficult for the DPRK intelligence services to track mobile phones. And although they have official network mobile communications, which does not allow citizens to make calls abroad and access the Internet, the North Koreans have found another way. They increasingly began to buy Chinese phones that are brought into the country illegally. These devices can operate within a 10-kilometer zone from the Chinese border. However, North Koreans understand that having, much less using, such a phone is very dangerous.

Development of the information environment in the DPRK

Nat Kretchan, a North Korea researcher, published a report on the developing information environment of this country. From the report, based on interviews with 420 escaped citizens, it is clear that using such phones is a serious crime. Also, government intelligence agencies have equipment to track calls, so you need to use such a mobile phone in a densely populated area and very quickly.

Many observers note that the country's leader is well versed in information technology and tries to use them at home, that is, to put them at the service of its citizens. Of course, these technologies are developing very slowly in the DPRK, which can be explained by the complete isolation of this country, but every step in this direction gives the North Koreans the opportunity to receive truthful information. This could sooner or later lead to the fall of the regime in such a closed country. But as long as North Korea remains without the Internet, the regime has nothing to worry about. However, it cannot remain like this for long. After all, many citizens are already using illegal methods to gain access to the Internet and mobile communications to make prohibited calls abroad. Many escape successfully.

Conclusion

Many people are trying to understand why there is no Internet in North Korea, since the Internet itself does not pose a serious threat. In fact, for the DPRK regime, this is a real and terrible threat. After all, the authorities have been promoting communism and all the delights of the regime for decades, cynically lying about the most wonderful life in the country compared to other countries, their media broadcast the news that the DPRK national football team won the World Cup, beating the South Korean national team with a crushing score etc. And if every citizen gets access to the Internet in North Korea, then he will immediately be able to identify the lies of his government, and this will clearly not benefit the regime.

But so far, the DPRK authorities have been able to restrain the curiosity of citizens, and they are not particularly trying to use forbidden technologies. But sooner or later you will have to open up, because although a closed country can exist in this form, it cannot actively develop.

In Korea there is a real problem with telephone SIM cards. It took me almost a month and a lot of nerve cells to acquire a Korean SIM card. Let's start with the fact that a number here can only be purchased with a Korean ID card. Being a tourist and having no Korean friends, this mission, in my opinion, is impossible... But there are rumors that in Itaewon or Dongdaemun (in the Mongolian quarter), you can buy SIM cards on the black market, and for this you only need a passport. I personally haven’t tested this method myself, so I probably won’t give any advice on this matter.
Getting a Korean ID card is not so bad. In order to have full ammunition, it is better to immediately acquire a bank card in advance; you may also be asked for this at the salon. But then the fun begins... What could be difficult about purchasing a SIM card? Nothing, unless you are a foreigner living in Korea. For you and me, this simple process turns into a real circus, turning into a madhouse. I don’t know why this is happening, but the staff in Korean salons absolutely do not want to interact with foreigners, especially if these foreigners do not speak Korean. I visited many stores, usually they told me that they either do not sell SIM cards, or that I need to go to the main office. Sometimes they said that SIM cards can be purchased in one single place, on the other side of the city, strictly certain time. And sometimes the staff even stated that the phone simply would not work with a Korean SIM card; the communication format was supposedly not the same.

But as soon as you come to the salon with a Korean, or with a Korean-speaking person, things take a different turn, here you have yogurt with cookies, and best places as for beloved guests. For some reason, the phone immediately starts working with the local communication format and even SIM cards appear in stock... Injustice, however, but oh well. The main thing is to have a SIM card. =)
So, in Korea there are several tariffs:

1. The tariff that all Koreans use. The so-called “all inclusive”, you pay a fixed amount per month, this price usually includes a certain number of minutes, SMS, Internet and TV. Exceeding the package is paid additionally, according to a separate price list. To connect to such a tariff, you need bank card, since they become attached to yours bank account, and the subscription fee is automatically withdrawn monthly from your account.

2. Regular tariff. You buy a SIM card and simply pay for calls and SMS after the fact, without subscription fee. In addition to this tariff you can also additional fee connect the internet.

In my opinion, for foreigners who do not make a lot of calls, the second tariff is the most optimal.

By cost cellular communication It's quite expensive here. For example, tariffs from subscription fee start at 35,000 won (approximately $35). This tariff includes an Internet package of only 750 MB.

Connecting the Internet separately is also not the cheapest pleasure. A package of 500 MB per month will cost 11,000 won (approximately $11). But such a connection will give you the right to automatically use the cellular operator’s wi-fi for free. Wi-fi operators are very extensive and good quality, there is excellent communication even in the metro.

There are three popular mobile operators in Korea: KTelecom, Olleh, LG pluse. The most famous and largest is Olleh.