North Korea announces its version of Netflix: ‘Manbang’

North Korea does have some broadband infrastructure, including fibre optic links between major institutions but internet access is only permitted with special authorisation and all personal computers must be registered with the government.

Notoriously secretive North Korea is one of the least connected countries in the world, and only a few thousand people are believed to be allowed to access the global internet.

And North Korea’s friend is a homegrown version of the video streaming service Netflix, called Manbang. Back in 2013, Kim Jong Un’s totalitarian regime made a state-sponsored Android phone ripoff, followed by a Mac OS X ripoff in 2015.

It’s called “Manbang”, which translates to “everywhere” or “every direction”, according to NK News.

As Variety reports, citing NK News, the service runs on a dedicated streaming box similar to the Apple TV or Roku.

Viewers will be able to watch and replay documentary films about the leadership as well as learn the Russian and English language.

North Korea has set up three new antiaircraft artillery bases in the outskirts of Pyongyang as part of its efforts to defend the North Korean capital and its military facilities, the USA -based Radio Free Asia said Thursday.

If true, the “Manbang” represents a stunning development in domestic North Korean television technology, considering the highly limited availability of internet in the country.

As well as watching television, users will be able to read articles on the state’s newspaper Rodong Sinmun and keep abreast of the Korean Central News Agency.

North Korean TV is among the most strictly controlled media in the world, ranking 178th in a list of 179 countries with nominal freedom of the press.

“Firstly, connect a phone line to the high-speed modem, and then connect a cable box to the national network”, KCTV said.

Regardless, the new viewing system could be a boon for North Koreans.