North Korea Has Blocked Instagram

North Korea has reportedly blacklisted Instagram, after warnings appeared on accounts in the last few days notifying users that they cannot access the app inside the secretive state.

It has also been suggested that the restrictions could be linked to a fire at a landmark hotel in Pyongyang, the country's capital, after photographs of the blaze circulated worldwide.

When opening Instagram with mobile devices on Koryolink, North Korea's official mobile network, a notification in English states: "Warning! You can't connect to this website because it's in blacklist site." A notice in Korean also says that the site contains harmful content.

However, support staff at Koryolink said it was not aware of any changes to the policy regarding the app, and that there had been no notice from the government or from the mobile phone service.

In a country where social media is banned, and the use of the internet is reserved for the privileged few, in 2013, North Korea allowed foreigners visiting the country to use 3G on their mobile phones, requiring a local SIM card to get onto the Koryolink network. That year also saw the government begin to allow foreign visitors to bring their mobile phones into the country.

Watch the VICE News documentary, Launching Balloons into North Korea: Propaganda Over Pyongyang

[ooyalacontent_id="B2eTdvdDqwcv-TpQpB28nVcoxWazhhtu"player_id="YjMwNmI4YjU2MGM5ZWRjMzRmMjljMjc5" auto_play="1" skip_ads="0"]

One notable visitor to the country, Associated Press photographer David Guttenfelder, has used Instagram to capture life in the notoriously secret country.

Much uncertainty remains over the reason as to why the app's users have been getting these warnings, yet there has been some suggestion that the restrictions could be in connection with a fire at the Koryo Hotel on June 11 — a luxury hotel whose visitors have included Dennis Rodman. Photographs of the blaze there circulated online, but was not reported by the country's state media.

Related: 'This Could Be a Mess': An Apparent Drought in North Korea Brings Fear of Famine

Soon after the fire, reports emerged of foreign visitors being unable to access the North Korea's 3G network. Subscribers received a notice from Koryolink, stating: "Unfortunately we are facing internet service outage from the local internet provider's side with no estimated time, we will keep you posted once the service is back to normal." A source with access to Koryolink told Reuters that measures were introduced a day after the fire.

Andrea Lee, CEO of Uri Tours, which organizes tours to North Korea, said: "We have been using Instagram to post photos from our DPRK tours since Koryolink, the local provider, announced that 3G SIM cards would be available to foreigners for purchase."

She added: "While I'm unaware of this recent shift in policy toward blocking Instagram, I hope this will be a temporary policy as it's been a great tool for our company to show prospective travelers what our tours are like and to get people motivated in traveling there."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.