-
·
Three things to read, from October 2025
Each month, NK TechLab highlights three interesting or important articles that provide a window into the use of technology in North Korea or by the state. This month, digital grain vouchers, a report on North Korea’s cyber operations, and a North Korean feature phone. Daily NK: North Korea launches app-based digital grain voucher system to…
-
·
A Nascent Fintech Industry Appears in Pyongyang
Electronic payments appear to be gaining popularity in North Korea, thanks to the spread of smartphones, pressure from the state, and an increasingly competitive market for smartphone apps. Several competing electronic payment wallets are in operation in Pyongyang and, to a lesser extent, across the country, according to an examination of recent North Korean smartphones,…
-
·
North Korea’s Health App Offers Medicines on Demand
North Korea’s Ministry of Health has launched an online drug and medical product delivery service based in a smartphone app. The app is called “건강” (Health) and also allows patients to consult medical practitioners without going to a hospital and consult a database of common medical questions and answers. The app underscores how North Korea…
-
·
A Close-up Look at North Korea’s Digital Map App
Since around 2017, North Koreans with smartphones have had a new way to navigate around Pyongyang. An application (app) called “길동무” or “Fellow Traveler” offers a directory of the city and hundreds of shops, restaurants, hotels and other locations and might be the closest thing the country has to Google or Apple Maps. The app…
