Crypto Stories: Ethan Lou shares experience of crypto conference in North Korea

When North Korea introduced a crypto convention again in 2018, Canadian journalist Ethan Lou jumped on the alternative to see what the nation’s crypto scene seemed like. He encountered many surprises, together with being launched as a presenter to a North Korean viewers.

In response to Lou, he went there with eight different unsuspecting members who merely needed to attend the crypto convention. Nevertheless, when the airplane landed and the convention began, they realized that they had been being introduced to the viewers as overseas specialists who flew all the way in which to North Korea to show them about crypto.

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Whereas Lou didn’t comply with current, he stated that many of the others determined to provide improvised talks. Nevertheless, the Canadian journalist felt that there was no important change of knowledge on the convention:

“There have been solely eight of us. There have been perhaps like perhaps 60 Korean individuals. They had been principally the viewers, and we didn’t get any significant interplay with them.”

The overseas crypto “specialists” additionally encountered some anticipated safety measures. One had his laptop computer confiscated as a result of it had photos of his girlfriend. The North Koreans labeled the photographs as pornography and held on to the pc till they departed.

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Lou additionally met Virgil Griffith, the one one who was an precise presenter for the occasion. Griffith defined that Individuals want permission from their authorities when going to North Korea. “Earlier than Virgil went on this journey, he requested his authorities whether or not he might go. The federal government instructed him no. He instructed us he determined to go anyway,” Lou talked about.

Whereas Griffith believed he was doing his nation a favor, he was finally arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This led to a trial the place he pled responsible and was in the end sentenced to over 5 years in jail.