So how did this great unveiling happen?
It went like this: North Korea’s main Domain Name System (DNS) server was sent a frequent and automated request by a US-based engineer for access to all the internet domains in the country, possibly merely out of mischief. The server is usually configured to reject this.
But for some reason – most likely by mistake – it obliged on one occasion, late on Tuesday. The engineer then posted the list online, TechCrunch reports.
North Korea watchers and analysts were already familiar with these sites but didn’t know the extent of North Korea’s online presence.
“When North Korea brings up a new website they never publicise it. Either someone finds it by accident or it might show up in a search engine,” says Martyn Williams who runs the website North Korea tech from San Francisco.
“We knew about most of these, but weren’t sure what else existed”.
For the uninitiated, here’s what you might see on a wander around the North Korean internet.