North Korea experienced a sweeping internet blackout on Saturday, severing access to key government and propaganda websites, with experts suggesting the disruption likely stemmed from internal technical issues rather than foreign cyberattacks.

Blackout Hits Government and Propaganda Portals

The outage knocked out North Korea’s Foreign Ministry, national airline Air Koryo, and other state-run websites. Monitoring systems failed to detect activity across the country’s internet infrastructure for several hours, and even elite users reportedly lost external connectivity.

Reuters verified that some sites began returning online by midday.

Experts Point to Internal Technical Fault

Junade Ali, a UK-based cybersecurity researcher, stated the blackout seemed “internal rather than an attack,” noting the simultaneous failure of both Chinese and Russian backbone connections that support North Korean internet access. Martyn Williams of the Stimson Center echoed this analysis, saying no evidence currently suggests an external cyber incident.

Tight Internet Controls, but Not Immune to Failure

North Korea’s general population only has access to a tightly controlled intranet. Full internet access is restricted to a small elite, typically in government and leadership circles. The affected services primarily cater to international audiences for propaganda purposes.

Past Incidents and Ongoing Cyber Reputation

Although Saturday’s event may be technical, North Korea has previously experienced large-scale outages believed to be caused by cyberattacks. The regime is also home to state-backed hacking groups like Lazarus, which have been blamed for cryptocurrency thefts and cyber intrusions. Pyongyang denies any involvement in such operations.