.kp
| ccTLD | |
|---|---|
| Type | ccTLD |
| Status | Active |
| Region | AP |
| Country |
|
| Implemented | September 24, 2007 |
| Registry | Star Joint Venture Company |
.kp is the ccTLD for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPKR), or North Korea. It is managed by the Star Joint Venture Company.[1]
Delegation History[edit | edit source]
The .kp top-level domain, designated for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in the ISO 3166-1 standard, had not been previously delegated in the DNS root zone until a formal request was submitted to ICANN in 2007. Initial contact from the DPRK regarding .kp began in 2004, when Ambassador Songryol Han of the DPRK's Permanent Mission to the UN sent a letter identifying the DPRK Computer Center as the authorized manager of the domain. However, no formal delegation request accompanied this communication.
In 2006, ICANN received further correspondence from the Korea Computer Center Europe (KCCE) in Germany, acting as a proxy for the Korea Computer Center (KCC) in Pyongyang due to communication difficulties. This was followed by formal letters from both the DPRK's UN Mission and KCC itself, officially designating KCC as the operator of the .kp domain. A formal delegation request was submitted through the IANA system, but after the applicants failed to provide the required documentation within 30 days, the request was administratively closed in December 2006.
The application was resubmitted on January 26, 2007 with supporting documentation delivered on February 15. KCCE representatives later visited ICANN's offices and were informed that the application was under review. The request proposed that KCC, the DPRK's official IT agency, be the sponsoring organization, with Kim Chang Ryop as administrative contact and Jan Holtermann of KCCE as technical contact. The submission included government endorsements, policy documents, and technical details of the proposed operation.[2]
ICANN approved the delegation in 2007, assigning management of the .kp domain to KCC. However, by 2010, the domain's authoritative name servers became completely non-functional. KCC attempted to resolve the issue by contacting KCCE, but received no response. Consequently, KCC terminated its agreement with KCCE.
To restore domain functionality, the DPRK Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications endorsed Star Joint Venture Company, a new entity, to take over operations. In December 2010, the .kp nameserver records were updated on an interim basis to those managed by Star Joint Venture Company, reinstating the operational status of the domain.[3]
However, the website provided by IANA for registration is no longer accessible.
References[edit | edit source]
ICANNWiki: Content Guide | Documentation | Development || Categories: Articles needing attention | Candidates for deletion || Projects: Internet & Digital Governance Library