1. Why is the Internet restricted in South Korea? At an average speed of 17 MBPs, South Korea boasts the highest average Internet speed in the world and tops the world on speed for the price. All large office and apartment buildings are equipped with fiber-optic broadband and a $24 billion high-speed backbone links public institutions and government facilities. This country’s population also boasts a high level of Internet usage: 97 percent of South Koreans have high-speed Internet access at home and subway riders in Seoul enjoy free access on their smartphones. By the end of 2014, Koreans will have access to 1GB per second connections, 200 times faster than the average household connection in the United States.

The paradox is that this flourishing tech-savvy democracy, which enjoys broad constitutional freedoms, is also among the most Internet-regulated countries in the world. South Korea’s 1995 Electronic Communication Business Law granted wide latitude to the Information and Communications Ethics Office to block material deemed morally offensive or harmful to South Korean youth. Political speech, particularly relating to longtime foe North Korea, was, and still is, rigorously controlled. North Korean URLs have been off-limits and online support for North Korea could be grounds for investigation, detention, and revocation of Internet access.