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posted by janrinok on Tuesday July 23 2019, @06:42PM   Printer-friendly

Submitted via IRC for AnonymousLuser

Huawei reportedly helped North Korea build out 3G network in secret

A new report could ultimately prove another bombshell in Huawei's ongoing conflicts with the U.S. government. New documents obtained by The Washington Post tie the Chinese hardware giant to North Korea's commercial 3G wireless network.

If proven, the ties would be yet more fodder for the U.S., which has already dinged the company over charges of violating Iran sanctions. The government has also investigated potential ties between Huawei and North Korea for years, though concrete links have apparently remained elusive.

This latest report arrives by way of a former Huawei employee, with confirmation and supporting documents from other sources who have also requested to remain anonymous for fear of retribution. For its part, Huawei has stated that it has "no business presence" in the embattled country.

"Huawei is fully committed to comply with all applicable laws and regulations in the countries and regions where we operate, including all export control and sanction laws and regulations," it said in a statement offered to the press. Notably, the statements appear to apply primarily to its current business offerings, while declining to comment on the past.


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  • (Score: 4, Insightful) by Freeman on Tuesday July 23 2019, @09:48PM (5 children)

    by Freeman (732) on Tuesday July 23 2019, @09:48PM (#870477) Journal

    You actually think that even a minority of "regular citizens" are allowed to have cell service? As opposed to, cell service for his sycophants?

    --
    Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 23 2019, @11:10PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 23 2019, @11:10PM (#870517)

    The sycophants do not need the cell service. They can easily get encrypted radios from China and have service areas that are much larger than a 3G base station, at lower cost. The 3G is needed only if the government wants to provide wireless service of low security to a pretty large civilian section of the society - say, including top managers of every business (C*O in western terms.)

    It would be not rational to guess what is happening within NK or what the glorious leader wants to happen. He is young enough, and there is a chance that he understands how unsustainable the policy of his predecessors is. It does not help that SK's politics is designed around the conflict, rather than around the solution - they have laws prohibiting contacts with NK. The South does not want to unify with the North, and they have reasons for that.

    Even if Huawei did sell the equipment, if they are not complete idiots, the hardware was sold to some fly-by-night company, maybe even foreign, and then resold. Anyway, given the dense fog of war around Huawei, the best an observer can do is to wait and see.

    • (Score: 2, Insightful) by khallow on Wednesday July 24 2019, @12:34PM

      by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday July 24 2019, @12:34PM (#870622) Journal
      You are attributing rationality to North Korea. Maybe they're doing that, and maybe they're just providing a technologically inferior status symbol to their elite. Wouldn't put the latter past them.
  • (Score: 2) by DannyB on Wednesday July 24 2019, @01:45PM

    by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday July 24 2019, @01:45PM (#870654) Journal

    People won't be allowed to have cell phones. They are not even allowed to own cars.

    Privately owned cars (not owned by the government) are extremely rare and have special license plates. (seen in a video by a YouTuber visiting NK as a tourist. So it must be true!)

    --
    People today are educated enough to repeat what they are taught but not to question what they are taught.
  • (Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday July 24 2019, @04:34PM (1 child)

    by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday July 24 2019, @04:34PM (#870741) Journal

    Well, Freeman - you've kinda struck a nerve there. Bear in mind that I was part of that infamous "Cold War". Not a big part, but I was one of the millions of cogs in the machinery. Back then, we were constantly reminded of what hell life behind the Iron Curtain was. But, funny thing . . . a reasonably large number of Russians have disputed the propaganda. True, it seems most Russians, and most Eastern Euros, were happy enough to see the Soviet fail. But, those accounts of hell? Not so much. Yes, Stalin could have been Satan incarnate, but Stalin finally died. What of life behind the Iron Curtain, then?

    Today? Is North Korea as bad as we are told? Or is it maybe even worse? Or, is it maybe 80% hype?

    Along with a lot of other people, I'd really like to know what life is like in Li'l Kim's kingdom. Sure, Kim is nucking phutts, but maybe he's less insane than all of our governments claim? Flying over Pyŏngsŏng in Google Earth, it's pretty obvious that not everyone owns a car - but cars aren't rare, either. Do virtually all of them belong to government? Maybe - further north in Sunchŏn, there are entire neighborhoods without a car in view.

    Yodok Concentration Camp? Not a car in sight. I guess not even the base commander is entitled to a car?

    But, inquiring minds really do want to know. How much of the bullshit is bullshit, and how much is for reals?