Earlier this week it became clear that North Korea upgraded the operating system used on many of its domestic computers, Red Star OS. Several clear screenshots were obtained by an American computer scientist, Will Scott, and published on the NorthKoreaTech-blog. Will Scott was visiting Pyongyang University of Science and Technology and bought the OS from a local Korea Computer Center (KCC) dealer. The KCC is the government’s information research technology center and the supervising power in the development of Red Star Linux.

 

The ascetics of the updated Red Star OS are clearly influenced by Apple’s Mac OSX operating system. Screenshots illustrate a striking resemblance between the two operating systems. The software is installed on North Korean computers, which are almost exclusively available at schools and national libraries. The current operating system is filled with government sanctioned propaganda. When you have a close look at calendar, it tells users that it’s 103, not 2014, the number of years passed since the birth of the Great Leader, Kim Il-sung. This illustrates that even the national operating system is used to manipulate thoughts and the consciousness of citizens.

 

These disclosures must also draw our attention to the many human rights abuses relating to the right of __EXPRESSION__ and freedom of speech. These rights incorporate the right to search for and access information freely. It’s clear that Internet access plays a key-role in this process, but this access is only reserved for the political elite. The opinions and beliefs of the people of North Korea have to be unified and indivisible. Deviations from the collective body of thought are not tolerated. Internet access for all North Korean citizens could be considered problematic for the government’s propaganda agenda. Some say the citizens don’t consider this as curtailment of their liberty, but the international community should not accept that as an excuse for inaction.