North Korean gulags are attracting reviews on Google Maps

Chongjin camp gets 2.8 user rating

Christopher Hooton
Wednesday 29 January 2014 17:49 GMT
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Google has made nearly all locations available for review on Google Plus
Google has made nearly all locations available for review on Google Plus

The whole 'review things in an amusing manner on the internet' thing has taken a macabre twist, with gulags in North Korea being rated on Google Maps and given verdicts like "Most exquisite checkpoint, made possible by Honourable Soldiers of Glorious Leader'.

Dishonest user reviews have previously been used to poke fun at Google's HQ or a box canvas print of presenter Paul Ross, but now are being directed at labour camps in the notoriously secretive state.

Type 'gulags near North Korea' into Google Maps and a host of internment camps appear, including Kaechon, Chongjin and Hoeryong.

Gulags even come with a star rating (Picture: Google)

"Best gulag in town. Very accessible and great accommodation!” one reviewer wrote, with star ratings for each gulag appearing on their respective Google results pages.

North Korea was merely blank space on Google Maps until January 2013, when volunteer cartographers helped piece together aerial images of the country, offering views of Kim Jong Il's tomb, Yongbyon nuclear facility and more.

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