North Korea makes money in online games

The New York Times and Reuters report that the communist regime of Kim Jong-il in North Korea is surprisingly active on the internet. The North Korean government is reportedly investing heavily in the training of computer experts and hackers. The government in Pyongyang is also active on twitter and YouTube.

The Great Leader now appears to be an inventive internet entrepreneur, as Pyongyang has hired a company or a group of computer experts to generate revenue from online games. These people found a way to break into the popular South Korean games "Lineage" and "Dungeon and Fighter" and set up dozens of computers that play these games 24 hours a day. The computer-controlled characters earn many points and virtual gold and do well in the game. These characters and the virtual gold are then sold to South Korean and Chinese gaming fans. They offer real money for these items, because they would like to play with an avatar that has advanced very far in the game, but do not want to spend all the hours playing themselves.

In itself, this is not new, the lines between virtual worlds in computer games and the physical world are blurring. Gamers already make loads of money by selling their characters or bonus items for real money. But, now a government is adopting this business model, this is quite sensational. Moreover, it is clear that Kim and his hacking friends are cheating, because the poor little South Korean gamers find themselves lined up against computers that do not make mistakes.

Reportedly, the North Koreans have made about six million U.S. dollars this way. The robots and their hackers operate from China, where they were arrested this week by South Korean police. Word goes around that they are member of the shady Office 39. According to The New York Times, this group generates income for the North Korean regime with the sale of drugs, counterfeit goods, weapons and, it turns out, hacking.

North Korea denies this story and sees the whole affair as a conspiracy against the state.

Sources: The New York Times, Reuters