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    • .kp

    Country-code top-level domains

    Overview

    .kp is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) assigned to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea). It was created on 24 September 2007 and is intended for entities connected with North Korea. Domains under .kp are used principally by North Korean government bodies, state organizations, institutions and some businesses.

    History

    • Early contacts regarding a .kp delegation began in 2004 with communications identifying the Korea Computer Center (KCC) as the proposed manager.
    • Further correspondence came in 2006 from Korea Computer Center Europe (KCCE) acting as a proxy for KCC; an initial formal request was administratively closed when required documentation was not provided within 30 days.
    • A renewed application was submitted on 26 January 2007 with supporting documentation delivered in February 2007; an ICANN delegation visited North Korea in May 2007.
    • ICANN approved the delegation and .kp was created on 24 September 2007, initially assigned to the Korea Computer Center (KCC).
    • A number of .kp websites and hosting were operated by KCC Europe in Germany in the early years.
    • By 2010 the domain's authoritative name servers became non-functional; after attempts to resolve the problem, KCC terminated its agreement with KCCE.
    • The DPRK Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications endorsed Star Joint Venture Company to take over operations; nameserver records were updated on an interim basis in late 2010/early 2011 and management transferred to Star Joint Venture in 2011.
    • The registration/registry website URL recorded by IANA (star.co.kp) is no longer accessible; archived copies exist.

    Usage and Audience

    • Primary users are North Korean government agencies, state media, educational and cultural institutions, and some state-run companies.
    • Some .kp hostnames are only accessible from North Korea's domestic Kwangmyong network or within the North Korean Internet; others are externally accessible on the global Internet.
    • As of 19 September 2016, an ICANN/TechCrunch–reported count listed 28 registered .kp domains. By 2025, sources noted over 30 active .kp domains.

    Registration Rules

    • Eligibility: Registrations are restricted to companies, organizations, or government entities based in North Korea.
    • Structure: Names can be registered directly at the second level (example: kcna.kp) or at the third level beneath designated second-level labels (example: name.com.kp).

    Second-level labels used in practice (as shown by existing domains):

    • aca.kp — academic research institutes
    • com.kp — companies
    • edu.kp — higher education institutions
    • law.kp — legal firms
    • org.kp — organizations
    • gov.kp — government departments
    • rep.kp — agencies associated with the Workers' Party of Korea
    • net.kp — Internet/email service providers
    • sca.kp — institutes affiliated with the Ministry of Culture

    Notable Cases or Examples

    Examples of notable or externally accessible .kp domains and services:

    • kcna.kp — Korean Central News Agency

    • naenara.com.kp — North Korean web portal

    • airkoryo.com.kp — Air Koryo (national airline)

    • pyongyangtimes.com.kp — The Pyongyang Times

    • mfa.gov.kp — Ministry of Foreign Affairs

    • moph.gov.kp — Ministry of Public Health

    • rodong.rep.kp — Rodong Sinmun (party newspaper)

    • kut.edu.kp, ryongnamsan.edu.kp, gpsh.edu.kp — examples of educational sites

    • korart.sca.kp — cultural site

    • Some addresses (for example certain mail servers or intranet-only services) are used only within the North Korean network or are not reachable from the global Internet.

    Operator

    Star Joint Venture Company

    Whois

    % IANA WHOIS server
% for more information on IANA, visit http://www.iana.org
% This query returned 1 object

domain:       KP

organisation: Star Joint Venture Company
address:      Potonggang2-dong, Potonggang District
address:      Pyongyang
address:      Korea (the Democratic People's Republic of)

contact:      administrative
name:         President
organisation: Star Joint Venture Company
address:      Potonggang2-dong, Potonggang District
address:      Pyongyang
address:      Korea (the Democratic People's Republic of)
phone:        +8502 381 3180
fax-no:       +8502 381 4418
e-mail:       mptird@star-co.net.kp

contact:      technical
name:         President
organisation: Star Joint Venture Company
address:      Potonggang2-dong, Potonggang District
address:      Pyongyang
address:      Korea (the Democratic People's Republic of)
phone:        +8502 381 3180
fax-no:       +8502 381 4418
e-mail:       mptird@star-co.net.kp

nserver:      NS1.KPTC.KP 175.45.176.15
nserver:      NS2.KPTC.KP 175.45.176.16

whois:        

status:       ACTIVE
remarks:      Registration information: http://www.star.co.kp

created:      2007-09-24
changed:      2024-10-14
source:       IANA