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

When North Korea announced a crypto league backmost successful 2018, Canadian writer Ethan Lou jumped astatine the accidental to spot what the country's crypto country looked like. He encountered galore surprises, including being introduced arsenic a presenter to a North Korean audience. 

According to Lou, helium went determination with 8 different unsuspecting participants who wanted to simply be the crypto conference. However, erstwhile the level landed and the league started, they realized that they were being announced to the assemblage arsenic overseas experts who flew each the mode to North Korea to thatch them astir crypto.

While Lou did not hold to present, helium said that astir of the others decided to springiness improvised talks. However, the Canadian writer felt that determination was nary important speech of accusation wrong the conference:

“There were lone 8 of us, but determination were similar possibly 60 Korean people. They were fundamentally the assemblage and we did not get immoderate meaningful enactment with them.”

Among the different things that started the radical is however 1 of them got his laptop confiscated due to the fact that it had pictures of his girlfriend. The North Koreans classified the pictures arsenic pornography and held connected to the laptop until they departed.

The overseas crypto “experts” besides encountered immoderate of the expected information measures. One had his laptop confiscated due to the fact that it had pictures of his girlfriend. The North Koreans classified the pictures arsenic pornography and held connected to the laptop until they departed.

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Lou besides met Virgil Griffith, the lone idiosyncratic who was an existent presenter for the event. Griffith explained however Americans request support from their authorities erstwhile going to North Korea. "Before Virgil went connected this trip, helium asked his authorities whether helium could go. The authorities told him no. He told america helium decided to spell anyway," Lou mentioned.

While Griffith believed that helium was doing his state a favor, helium yet got arrested and met with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This led to a trial where Griffith pled blameworthy and was fixed six and a fractional years successful prison.