I have for many years advocated for fighting an information war within North Korea since the early days of financing defector radio stations to broadcast into North Korea. Challenging the Kim regime’s domestic propaganda should be a primary part of any strategy to counter North Korea. Challenging the propaganda directly challenges the Kim regime’s legitimacy. That is why the Kim regime has been so violently outspoken against the activities of defector groups that have launched balloons into North Korea to include even trying to assassinate the group’s primary leader, Park Sang-hak. Recently when I read about Facebook’s new effort to use drones to give Internet access to remote areas of the world the first thing I thought of was North Korea:
Facebook started teasing its internet-beaming planes last year, but now we’re seeing one that it actually built. Pictured above is Aquila, a solar-powered, 140-foot unmanned plane that’s designed to deliver internet connectivity from altitudes of 60,000 to 90,000 feet. The UAV, which has the wingspan of a Boeing 737 and weighs roughly 880 pounds, will be able to circle a specific area for up to 90 days when deployed — a feat possible thanks to its dependence on nothing but solar energy.
The Kim regime has been very active in doing everything possible to stem the tide of outside information entering North Korea. Excluding the border areas where most of the defectors come from, the Kim regime has been very effective with controlling information entering North Korea while expanding access to technology. The Kim regime has expanded computer and smartphone use while simultaneously creating an its own cell phone network and Intranet to control the flow of information. The fact that border areas can use cell phone towers in China contributes to the fact more defectors come from these areas.
Imagine if everyone in North Korea was able to access an outside information network like the border areas can do using Chinese cell phone towers? That is what Facebook’s drones may be able to do. Facebook is not the only ones pursuing this technology; Google has their own program to provide Internet to remote areas using balloons. The drones and balloons fly at altitudes greater than any aircraft North Korea has can intercept, however right now it is unclear whether they can fly at a standoff distance greater than North Korea’s anti-aircraft missiles can target the drone or balloon with. If the technology advances to where a drone or balloon could hover over the center of the Sea of Japan and beam Internet access into North Korea, the Kim regime would not be able to target it. What effect over the long term would that have in North Korea if citizens could secretly access the Internet without the Kim regime knowing?
