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N. Korea says it has developed Web site for mobile phonesSEOUL, May 23, 2009 (Asia Pulse Data Source via COMTEX) -- North Korea has developed a mobile version of a government Web site to distribute news and other content over wireless phones following the reported launch of a third-generation (3G) wireless communications network there, a state-run Web site said Friday. Uriminzokkiri, an official Web site run by North Korea, said that "Ryomyong," a separate site run by the National Reconciliation Council, has launched a "Web page for mobile phones." The mobile site carries major news from the Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) and other content concerning major developments in the country, it said, without disclosing the Web address or whether it was accessible domestically or abroad. Details on how to access the Web site through wireless phones were also not provided. North Korea reportedly introduced a 3G mobile phone network in a joint effort with Cairo-based Orascom Telecom in December. That marked the first time that North Koreans were allowed to use mobile phones since a previous, short-lived mobile service was shut down without explanation in 2004. In light of the announcement, some experts in the South speculate that the Web page in question may in fact be a recently opened Twitter account page found at http://twitter.com/kcna_dprk. The micro-blogging site, run by a U.S. venture start-up of the same name, is a widely used platform by media outlets such as CNN to send out real-time news. It can be accessed by smartphones such as Research In Motion Ltd.'s BlackBerrys and Apple Inc's iPhones. "I think it is highly likely as it is very easy to open up a so-called 'Web version' of any site rather than build up a separate one from scratch which often costs money," an industry insider in Seoul said. An official at the Unification Ministry confirmed that Web page links posted on the Twitter account connected users to the corresponding story in KCNA's Web page. All North Korean-run Web sites are blocked in the South and can only be accessed through special government authorization. |