Crypto Stories: Ethan Lou Shares North Korea Crypto Conference Experience

When North Korea announced a crypto conference in 2018, Canadian journalist Ethan Lou took the opportunity to see what the country’s crypto scene was like. He encountered many surprises, including being introduced to a North Korean audience as a presenter.

According to Lou, he went there with eight other unsuspecting participants who just wanted to attend the crypto conference. However, when the plane landed and the conference began, they realized they were being announced to the public as foreign experts who flew all the way to North Korea to teach them about crypto.

While Lou did not agree to present, he said most of the others decided to give impromptu lectures. However, the Canadian journalist felt that there was no significant exchange of information during the conference:

“We were only eight, but there were maybe 60 Korean people. They were basically the audience and we didn’t get to interact with them meaningfully.”

The group started, among other things, by how one of them confiscated his laptop because it contained photos of his girlfriend. The North Koreans classified the photos as pornography and held onto the laptop until they left.

The foreign crypto “experts” also encountered some of the expected security measures. One of them had his laptop confiscated because it had pictures of his girlfriend on it. The North Koreans classified the photos as pornography and held onto the laptop until they left.

Related: Crypto Stories: YouTuber DataDash Talks About His Most Expensive Mistake

Lou also met Virgil Griffith, the only person who was a real presenter for the event. Griffith explained how Americans need government approval if they go to North Korea. Before going on this trip, Virgil asked his government if he could go. The government said no. He told us he’d decided to go after all,’ Lou said.

While Griffith believed he was doing his country a favor, he was eventually arrested and met with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This led to a trial where Griffith pleaded guilty and received six and a half years in prison.