Pyongyang’s Potonggang Hotel in North Korea has installed a Wi-Fi internet access point which grants guests access to the internet through a hidden network. “You have to type in the Wi-Fi name specifically, you need to know the name of the network exactly and the password to connect directly to it,” a source said.
A regular visitor of the hotel revealed internet access has been available to guests since 2017 via an ethernet router, however, this is the first time Wi-Fi has been enabled. The hardware used at the time was manufactured by a Taiwanese company – ZyXEL.
“They told us we can get [internet access] in the rooms, but it turned out that they only provided ethernet router there. Of course, these can easily be turned to Wi-Fi with an adapter. [This is] a great development, hard to believe,” the source said.
This is a significant development in the hotel industry in the DPRK, a country where internet access is extremely rare. Previously, even during official delegations, journalists and guests were only granted access through hardwired connections – making it a challenge for reporters to share their news or connect with others.
