Digital Divide: Mobile Lives of Two Koreas

Grace Lee
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Education

Digital Divide: Mobile Lives of Two Koreas explores how mobile technology shapes life, communication, education, and commerce in both North and South Korea. A new episode every month. Also available on YouTube! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episodes

  1. May 21

    North Korea’s Hidden Digital Campus

    In this episode, we explore the surprising reality of online education and digital connectivity in North Korea—from the country’s Zoom-like platform “Rakwon” to mobile classrooms and smartphone-based learning systems. Despite operating on a closed internal network, North Korea has spent years developing its own digital infrastructure for education, including live online lectures, recorded classes, chat functions, mobile learning apps, and even public Wi-Fi services. 💡 Topics include: • North Korea’s internal version of Zoom and virtual classrooms • How COVID pushed schools toward online learning • Public Wi-Fi, internal networks, and North Korea’s digital ecosystem ❤️ Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/CDLQxyWBmag  📱 Follow us on social media: https://linktr.ee/gwiks.elliott.gwu  🔑 Supported by the UniKorea Foundation: https://www.unikoreafoundation.org/ 🇰🇷 Check out GW Institute for Korean Studies: https://gwiks.elliott.gwu.edu/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    21 min

  2. Apr 29

    Do People In North Korea Play Mobile Games?

    In this episode, we explore the surprising reality of gaming in North Korea—from pre-installed phone games and service-center installations to closed, intranet-based app platforms. Despite strict controls, mobile gaming has become part of everyday life, with ranking systems, in-game rewards, and even digital payments shaping user behavior. 💡 Topics include: • How apps are installed and downloaded without the global internet • North Korea’s internal app ecosystem • Digital payments and in-app purchases • Popular and adapted games 🎧 Based on research including: • Ji Sun Yee, Cultural Convergence in North Korean Gaming: Industry, Content, and User Experience (Korea Institute for National Unification, 2022) • NK Economy reports on North Korea’s IT and gaming sector ❤️ Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/p3Clk707Xt0  📱 Follow us on social media: https://linktr.ee/gwiks.elliott.gwu  🔑 Supported by the UniKorea Foundation: https://www.unikoreafoundation.org/ 🇰🇷 Check out GW Institute for Korean Studies: https://gwiks.elliott.gwu.edu/  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    19 min

  3. Mar 27

    North Korea’s Mobile Money: When Minutes Become Money

    In this episode, Grace and Professor Kim dive into the fascinating world of "Phone Money." From "Money Masters" (Donju) running informal wire transfers to parents sending digital talk time to feed their sons in the military, discover how North Koreans turned simple SIM cards into a sophisticated financial network. ❤️ Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/IL3nvHE_m-s  📱 Follow us on social media: https://linktr.ee/gwiks.elliott.gwu  🔑 Supported by the UniKorea Foundation: https://www.unikoreafoundation.org/ 🇰🇷 Check out GW Institute for Korean Studies: https://gwiks.elliott.gwu.edu/  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    19 min

  4. Feb 27

    Phones on Wheels: North Korea’s Markets in Motion

    The fourth episode of Digital Divide examines the rise of servi-cha, North Korea’s semi-private transport vehicles. The spread of cell phones, combined with a nationwide road-based network, has sparked a logistics revolution—enabling real-time coordination among drivers, merchants, brokers, fuel traders, and even checkpoint officials. This video/podcast series is sponsored by the UniKorea Foundation.  ❤️ Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/aQnkVF6l6Nc  📱 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.

    21 min

  5. Jan 30

    Jangmadang Goes Digital

    North Korea’s markets run on information—and increasingly, on cell phones. This episode explores how traders at jangmadang, North Korea’s informal marketplaces, use phones to share prices, coordinate transport, move money, and navigate corruption in a gray-zone economy tolerated by the state. It also shows how COVID-19 restrictions disrupted trade and reshaped daily life inside North Korea. This video/podcast series is sponsored by the UniKorea Foundation.  ❤️ Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/qvDW_ey2uvM 📱 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.

    20 min

  6. 12/23/2025

    The Cell Phone North Korea Can’t Control

    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? This video/podcast series is sponsored by the UniKorea Foundation.  ❤️ Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhM_IyUMR-i3fnlT1lOX1bYl937yiiVyr  📱 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.

    22 min

  7. 12/03/2025

    Mobile North Korea: A World Hidden in Plain Sight

    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? This video/podcast series is sponsored by the UniKorea Foundation.  ❤️ Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@gwiks/featured 📱 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.

    20 min
  • 7 Episodes

About

Digital Divide: Mobile Lives of Two Koreas explores how mobile technology shapes life, communication, education, and commerce in both North and South Korea. A new episode every month. Also available on YouTube! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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