Facebook clone Starcon becoming viral:Best Korean social network

If you think Facebook's gotten a little too big and you miss the intimacy of a smaller social network, maybe give North Korea's version a try.

Go to starcon.net.kp and you'll find a very familiar looking website. It's called "Best Korea's Social Network" and the homepage has a thin blue banner at the top with a search field for "people, #hashtags, !groups." etc.

After you register for an account, you can upload a cover photo and profile picture, find friends and message them, post a status message and scroll through a News Feed.

The site has already attracted a number of curious Internet surfers to sign up, but there isn’t much to see. It’s devoid of content except for a few messages users outside of North Korea are posting.

North Korea internet laws are notoriously strict. The vast majority of citizens are banned from using the internet and those allowed are monitored closely.

Not long after it emerged on Friday the site existed, it was quickly hacked. Scottish teenager Andrew McKean told Mortherboard that he was able to log into the website’s backend by simply using “admin” and “password” as the login details.

This gave the 18-year-old full control over the site, including the ability to “delete and suspend users, change the site’s name, censor certain words and manage the eventual ads,” as well as being able to “see everyone’s emails”.

It's unclear when exactly the site launched, or how many people have already signed up.