Google Chairman Heading to North Korea

When he lands in North Korea, even Google’s executive chairman will likely have to relinquish his smartphone, leaving him disconnected from the global information network he helped build.

Eric Schmidt is a staunch advocate of global internet access and the power of connectivity in lifting people out of poverty and political oppression. This month, he plans to travel to the country with the world’s most restrictive internet policies, where locals need government permission to interact with foreigners — in person, by phone or by email — and only a tiny portion of the elite class is connected to the internet.

The visit may be a sign of Pyongyang’s growing desire to engage with the outside world. North Korea’s young leader, Kim Jong Un, talks about using science and technology to jumpstart the country’s moribund economy, even if it means turning to experts from enemy nations for help.

In recent years, “North Korea has made a lot of investment in science and technology, not just for military purpose but also for the industry and practical reasons,” said Lim Eul-chul, a professor at South Korea’s Kyungnam University.

But the U.S. government Thursday voiced its opposition to the trip, saying the timing was “unhelpful.” Last month, North Korea launched a long-range rocket in defiance of U.N. Security Council resolutions.

Google’s intentions in North Korea are not clear. Two people familiar with the plans told The Associated Press that the trip was a “private, humanitarian mission.” They asked not to be named, saying the delegation has not made the trip public. Schmidt will be traveling with former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, a seasoned envoy, and Kun “Tony” Namkung, a Korea expert with long ties to North Korea.

“Perhaps the most intriguing part of this trip is simply the idea of it,” Victor Cha, an Asia expert who traveled to North Korea with Richardson in 2007, wrote in a blog post for the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank in Washington.

Kim Jong Un “clearly has a penchant for the modern accoutrements of life. If Google is the first small step in piercing the information bubble in Pyongyang, it could be a very interesting development.”

But this trip will probably be less about opening up North Korea’s internet than about discussing information technology, Lim said. North Korea may be more interested in Google services such as email and mapping, as well as software development, than in giving its people internet access, he said.

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said that she did not know what Google might be planning in North Korea, but like all U.S. companies it would be subject to restrictions under U.S. law.

This article appeared in print on page 2 of the January 4th, 2013 edition of Hamodia.