An article in the Guardian online shows how North Korean students at the Pyongyang University of Science and Technology find information. The students at this school are some of the very few that get the privilege of surfing the internet. Google's Chairman, Eric Schmidt, saw how the students gather information during his "private, humanitarian" mission.
Students do not have the ability to search for anything they want. They are to use the internet strictly for educational purposes. They have a select few websites that are state-run they can view. At Kim Chaek University students must register for permission before using the internet.
Former New Mexico Governor, Bill Richardson, was quoted in Jean H. Lee's Huffington Post article saying ""The citizens of the DPRK (North Korea) will be better off with more cell phones and an active Internet. Those are the three messages we've given to a variety of foreign policy officials."
Schmidt said "As the world becomes increasingly connected, the North Korean decision to be virtually isolated is very much going to affect their physical world and their economic growth. It will make it harder for them to catch up economically."
He went on to say "We made that alternative very, very clear. Once the internet starts in any country, citizens in that country can certainly build on top of it, but the government has to do one thing: open up the Internet first."
If North Korea wants to be successful in building its economy they need to give citizens access to the internet. They will not do it by making advances in science. North Korea lifting the ban on internet is the next step to building a stable economy. They will remain behind until they open up the internet.