# results of a drone in north korea **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 29, 2014, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/results-of-a-drone-in-north-korea/680006 "2014-01-29T01:22:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Artemis\_Tardis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4bbf92/32.png) [@Artemis\_Tardis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Artemis_Tardis)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/results-of-a-drone-in-north-korea/680006/1 "2014-01-29T01:22:03Z")
I was wondering what would happen if I made a shenanigan of sending a remote controlled drone to fly over north korea, comming from the middle of the ocean. No guns, nothing really harmful - just drop money or pamphlets or even just fly over the country. Would I get in deep trouble? Would I cause World War 3? ---
**Author:** ![wheresmymind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/91b2a8/32.png) [@wheresmymind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wheresmymind)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/results-of-a-drone-in-north-korea/680006/2 "2014-01-29T03:30:18Z")
You’d be safe from North Korea. When word of the stunt spread the US intelligence community would probably become very interested in you, your motives, and what (if any) information you gathered. I’m sure they’d have some stern words and (possibly idle) threats for you about it: the relationship between North Korea and the US (and most of the world for that matter) is strained to say the least, and they really don’t need anyone stirring the pot for them. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/results-of-a-drone-in-north-korea/680006/3 "2014-01-29T03:57:30Z")
Most likely, you’d just be out the cost of whatever you paid for the drone. Depending on its size, it would not be out of the question that it would be shot down. However, it’s hard to imagine that you would suffer serious consequences or start World War III. There might be legitimate questions on whether you violated safe airspace procedures, but on the other hand, South Koreans have been floating balloons loaded with leaflets, radios, and other stuff into North Korea for many years with very little to worry about. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/results-of-a-drone-in-north-korea/680006/4 "2014-01-29T06:47:01Z")
I heard smuggled USB flash drives with movies on them are very popular (and forbidden) in NK. ---
**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/results-of-a-drone-in-north-korea/680006/5 "2014-01-29T07:56:51Z")
So, if we could bombard them with WIFI hot spots, however temporarily? ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/results-of-a-drone-in-north-korea/680006/6 "2014-01-29T08:19:40Z")
Meh. From time to time, a South Korean civilian group releases balloons that find their way into North Korea and drop leaflets. WW III hasn’t started yet, so I’d be skeptical that a change in the method of delivery would have all that much effect, unless, of course, it turned out that the drone happened to be either SK or US military. _That_ would start a ruckus. AFAIK WiFi hot spots would require some sort of infrastructure on the ground to support that. There isn’t any. ---
**Author:** ![coremelt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/results-of-a-drone-in-north-korea/680006/7 "2014-01-29T11:07:47Z")
Saying you would be safe from North Korea is pretty rash. They would almost certainly send a patrol boat to investigate and could hone in on your signals that were controlling the drone . Even if you were jn international waters they could seize you for violating their airspace . ---
**Author:** ![Habeed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a587f6/32.png) [@Habeed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Habeed)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/results-of-a-drone-in-north-korea/680006/8 "2014-01-29T11:11:44Z")
The real question is this. Suppose the drone were controlled using a mechanism that protected you from getting caught by the North Koreans. (perhaps you are using several relay balloons, or satellite radios, or very difficult to track spread spectrum radios). Would the U.S. government prosecute you or turn you over to the North Koreans as punishment for violating their airspace? How could they ever approve an extradition? Why would they punish you for doing something a declared enemy of the U.S. doesn’t like? This is assuming the drone is unarmed, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/results-of-a-drone-in-north-korea/680006/9 "2014-01-29T12:05:34Z")
> [@chacoguy](#): > > So, if we could bombard them with WIFI hot spots, however temporarily? Nothing would happen, since none of them have Wifi-compatible electronics, and even if they did most of them have no source of electricity to charge them on anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/results-of-a-drone-in-north-korea/680006/10 "2014-01-29T12:08:44Z")
> [@coremelt](#): > > Saying you would be safe from North Korea is pretty rash. They would almost certainly send a patrol boat to investigate and could hone in on your signals that were controlling the drone . Not a chance. “Hone” means “to sharpen by rubbing”. “_Home_” means “to seek a target”. ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/results-of-a-drone-in-north-korea/680006/11 "2014-01-29T12:19:44Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > Not a chance. “Hone” means “to sharpen by rubbing”. “_Home_” means “to seek a target”. Sometimes I love the freakin’ dope. No nit too small to pick, by God. Well done **Sailboat**. ---
**Author:** ![Artemis\_Tardis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4bbf92/32.png) [@Artemis\_Tardis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Artemis_Tardis)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/results-of-a-drone-in-north-korea/680006/12 "2014-01-29T15:20:33Z")
Out of curiosity I sent an email to the North Korean Embassy here in Brazil. The guy working there is pretty nice, but totally brainwashed. And his Portuguese is plain awful. Also, his name is Kang. Curiously he uses a hotmail account! ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/results-of-a-drone-in-north-korea/680006/13 "2014-01-29T15:27:05Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth **Ranger Jeff** : > > I heard smuggled USB flash drives with movies on them are very popular (and forbidden) in NK. Popular with whom? USB drives are useless without a computer to plug them into. I think a lot of Americans really just don’t grasp the notion of grinding poverty, of the sort that North Korea faces. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/results-of-a-drone-in-north-korea/680006/14 "2014-01-29T15:42:11Z")
We did this a month ago: [Could we precipitate change in North Korea through a “Singularity”?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=711250) ---
**Author:** ![Artemis\_Tardis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4bbf92/32.png) [@Artemis\_Tardis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Artemis_Tardis)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/results-of-a-drone-in-north-korea/680006/15 "2014-01-29T15:57:05Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Popular with whom? USB drives are useless without a computer to plug them into. I think a lot of Americans really just don’t grasp the notion of grinding poverty, of the sort that North Korea faces. They also smuggle laptops. And now it seems that they can have mobile phones that are blocked to the outside world. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/results-of-a-drone-in-north-korea/680006/16 "2014-01-29T16:44:25Z")
Extremely stupid idea and yes, you’d be in a lot of trouble. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/results-of-a-drone-in-north-korea/680006/17 "2014-01-29T16:46:52Z")
OK, so how do they charge the laptops and phones? Do they also smuggle in generators, and fuel for them to use? ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/results-of-a-drone-in-north-korea/680006/18 "2014-01-29T17:02:49Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > OK, so how do they charge the laptops and phones? Do they also smuggle in generators, and fuel for them to use? Possibly solar panels, maybe we should airdrop thousands of them with radios attached. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/results-of-a-drone-in-north-korea/680006/19 "2014-01-29T17:11:44Z")
Since this requires speculation, let’s move it to IMHO. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/results-of-a-drone-in-north-korea/680006/20 "2014-01-29T17:44:51Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > OK, so how do they charge the laptops and phones? Do they also smuggle in generators, and fuel for them to use? Frontline did an episode on this recently. They don’t answer how people charge them up, but they did show smugglers bringing in thumbdrives, DVDs, and the like. One smuggler mentioned that guys like action flicks and women liked dramas and soap operas. They showed two young ladies watching a show on a laptop or laptop type viewer. As they watched they asked things like, “Is this Europe? I think it’s Europe.” The cameraman made a point of tilting up to show the mandatory pics of the Kims on the wall. NK is getting increasingly infiltrated by foreign media. ETA, one very popular item was the crank-charged radio. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/results-of-a-drone-in-north-korea/680006.md?page=2)