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North Korea Economizes on Web Design

Saving up for better rockets

North Korea’s official webpage cost it a cool $15 to make, according to Wired:

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has a Flash-heavy official webpage in English, to instruct the curious about the peculiar ways of its homebrewed "Juche" ideology ("…the masters of the revolution and construction are the masses of the people and that they are also the motive force of the revolution and construction…"). Not a bad look — functional, elegant — and certainly a step up from the GeoCities-esque design of its official news agency.

But, as it turns out, it’s an amateurish look. North Korea’s using a webpage template that costs $15.

Take a look at the source code. A keyword search for "envatowebdesign" will turn up a prompt comment from the site’s theme seller telling the person who bought it how to customize. Only whomever built the thing for Pyongyang didn’t bother. It’s a bit like leaving the plastic overlay on your fancy new TV telling you about the screen size. A quick check on the source code of the IgniteThemes "Blender" template confirms that it’s what North Korea built. Price check? $15.

The site also features a shop, where you can purchase DPRK souvenirs. This coffee cup featuring the North Korean emblem costs only $16.49 plus shipping--more than the state's site cost to design.

 

 

Published under: North Korea