Instagram Users in North Korea Report App Blocked
Looks like North Korea has blacklisted photo-sharing social network Instagram and is denying access to it from devices in the country. When users open the app from mobile phones on the North Korean carrier Koryolink, a warning in both English and Korean appears, The Associated Press reported on Monday. "Warning! You can't connect to this website because it's in blacklist site sic," says the English version. The Korean warning also says that the site contains harmful content. Similar warnings also appear when accessing Instagram on computers using LAN cables on the North Korean Internet provider. Instagram still worked on some mobile phones, but not all. The origin of the warning is still unclear. Koryolink customer support employees told The Associated Press that they weren't aware of any policy changes regarding Instagram and there has been no notice from the government regarding the service. The block could be related to a June 11 fire at a Pyongyang hotel, often used by tourists and foreign visitors, that North Korea's state-run media has yet to officially report on, despite photos of it leaking on the Internet. While North Korea is still not allowing its citizens to access the Internet, with a few exceptions, it did decide in 2013 to allow foreign visitors to access 3G Internet through their mobile phones, which requires a local SIM card from Koryolink. Other social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter are still working fine.