Skip to main content

Google’s Eric Schmidt on a private visit to North Korea

eric schmidt google ceo apple board of directorsGoogle’s Eric Schmidt is on a visit to North Korea this week, though it apparently has nothing to do with his role as the web giant’s chairman. According to the man who invited him, former New Mexico governor Bill Richardson, the visit to one of the most secretive and repressive states on the planet is part of a humanitarian mission.

“This is not a Google trip, but I’m sure he’s interested in some of the economic issues there, the social media aspect, so this is why we are teamed up on this,” Richardson told the Associated Press.

While the North Korean leaders will be well aware of Schmidt’s role as chairman of Google, the fact is that among the country’s population of around 25 million, few will have even heard of the company. Indeed, only a couple of thousand people in the isolated nation are thought to have access to the Internet, and even then any such service is tightly controlled.

Richardson, who’s made made a number of visits to North Korea in recent years, said his delegation is hoping to meet with the country’s political bigwigs as well as its economic and military leaders. Visits to universities might also take place. “We don’t control the visit. They will let us know what the schedule is when we get there,” he said.

The US State Department recently voiced displeasure at the timing of the trip, coming just a few weeks after North Korea used a long-range rocket to fire a satellite into space, raising concerns that the regime may be developing a long-range nuclear-capable missile. 

As far as Schmidt’s visit goes, it’s impossible to know if it’s purely a private occasion as we’ve been told, or if there’s something more to it. What is known is that the country’s new leader, 29-year-old Kim Jong-un, is keen to see the nation develop its science and technology capabilities in order to help improve its battered economy, though we’d be rather getting ahead of ourselves to think that Google was about to open an office in the impoverished country.

Richardson added that the delegation would also try to get information about US citizen Kenneth Bae, who has been held by the North Korean authorities since last month for reasons not entirely clear.

No media is accompanying the delegation on the four-day trip, though Richardson promised to hold a press conference when he returns to Beijing airport on January 10.

Topics
Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
How to change your language in Google Chrome on desktop
Chrome OS

Google Chrome supports a wide range of languages. While it'll default to English in most cases, there's nothing stopping you from changing its settings and displaying pages in Spanish, French, or dozens of other languages.

Changing your default language in Chrome takes only a few seconds, and the technique used is the same across Windows and Mac. Aside from changing your language, note that Chrome now gives you the option to automatically translate pages written in another language – making it easy to read content from around the globe.

Read more
23 of the best Netflix hacks, tips, and tricks
The Netflix home screen.

Netflix is one of the most popular streaming platforms for all things movies and TV shows. Home to an immense library of titles, the Netflix archive is constantly changing and evolving, and so are the many ways you can use your Netflix account. 

For instance, did you know you can access region-locked Netflix shows and flicks by using a VPN? Or that you can disable that pesky Autoplay feature? There are tons of Netflix hacks, tips, and tricks out there, so we’ve gone ahead and rounded up all of our favorites! 
Expand your streaming with a VPN

Read more
How to make a GIF from a YouTube video
woman sitting and using laptop

Sometimes, whether you're chatting with friends or posting on social media, words just aren't enough -- you need a GIF to fully convey your feelings. If there's a moment from a YouTube video that you want to snip into a GIF, the good news is that you don't need complex software to so it. There are now a bunch of ways to make a GIF from a YouTube video right in your browser.

If you want to use desktop software like Photoshop to make a GIF, then you'll need to download the YouTube video first before you can start making a GIF. However, if you don't want to go through that bother then there are several ways you can make a GIF right in your browser, without the need to download anything. That's ideal if you're working with a low-specced laptop or on a phone, as all the processing to make the GIF is done in the cloud rather than on your machine. With these options you can make quick and fun GIFs from YouTube videos in just a few minutes.
Use GIFs.com for great customization
Step 1: Find the YouTube video that you want to turn into a GIF (perhaps a NASA archive?) and copy its URL.

Read more