Smartphones in North Korea 0
Women in Pyongyang use smart mobile phones.
Korea is one of the countries with the highest smartphone usage rate in the world, with the number of smartphones in use being higher than the population.
North Korea has been producing smartphones for about 5 years with three manufacturers selling products in the domestic market, including Arirang, Pyongyang and Jindallae.
When he arrived in South Korea five years ago, Lee, a 50-year-old North Korean defector, was stunned by modern life here.
According to Lee, a relative in North Korea gave her a Chinese smartphone to use for calling, texting and playing simple games.
Kim Bong-sik, a researcher at the Korea Information Society Development Institute, headquartered in North Chungcheong Province, South Korea, said North Korea has been producing its own smartphones and tablets since 2014 to prevent foreign currency.
`North Korean-branded smartphones offer calling services, video games, pop songs and allow users to watch TV dramas. However, international calls and Internet connections are prohibited.`
Kim said smartphone prices in North Korea range from 100 – 400 USD/unit.
According to Ed Jones, a photojournalist for AFP news agency, residing in Seoul, South Korea, who often visits Pyongyang, North Korean smartphone brands use the Android operating system.
Alek Sigley, a PhD student at Kim Il Sung University in Pyongyang, said these stores have every application from games and entertainment to business and education.
`Applications such as Naui Kiltongmu, North Korea’s version of Netflix or Meari music application and eBook applications (Ryomyong and Kwangmyong) are all available in North Korea,` Sigley said in an article on NK News back in the day.
Although smartphones make life more convenient for many North Koreans, Pyongyang does not allow civilians to connect to the Internet with the outside world.
Smartphone use is also restricted within state-managed internal networks.
South Korea’s Unification Ministry said some people living near the Chinese border can access the Internet through China’s wireless network.
Hong Van (According to Nikkei Asian Review)
