Well, sort of – Supreme Leader wouldn’t let Eric Schmidt map everything of course. Thus the updated (it was mostly blank before) version of parts of North Korea became viewable today. 

Although only a tiny number of North Koreans actually have access to the Internet, Google has used data compiled with its Map Maker tool to add detail to the previously mostly blank North Korea. 

Like it does in plenty of other places, Google used its tool – which enables people to submit satellite imagery and knowledge from on the ground to the eventual compilation of information published – to bring the world new detail of the now reportedly cannibalistic state. 

Said Jayanth Mysore, senior product manager at Google Map Maker: 

While many people around the globe are fascinated with North Korea, these maps are especially important for the citizens of South Korea who have ancestral connections or still have family living there. I wanted to go to North Korea, and because it was not yet mapped I decided to start mapping so I could at least see how easy it would be to travel within the country. 

But, the Google Maps version isn’t the most comprehensive map of the area, as the Guardian notes: 

Google acknowledges that the map is still far from complete. “We know this map is not perfect – one of the exciting things about maps is that the world is a constantly changing place. We encourage people from around the world to continue helping us improve the quality of these maps for everyone with Google Map Maker.” 

Martyn Williams, who runs the North Korea Tech blog, noted that South Korean national security laws meant there was more detail available about the area to the north of the demilitarised zone – the heavily fortified border separating the two Koreas – than about the southern side. 

Despite the update, Google’s was not the most comprehensive map of North Korea, Williams said. He recommended North Korea Uncovered, by the analyst Curtis Melvin, and the DPRK Digital Atlas, a joint project by Curtis and 38 North, the blog of the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University. 

So, if you ever have the desire to visit North Korea, use these maps to plan your stay. You can check out some of the capital, Pyongyang, using some of the images uploaded too.

[Source: Guardian]