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More Tokyo raids over DPRK PC exports
Police in Tokyo conducted follow-up raids this week on the office of a North Korean-linked science association as part of an investigation into illegal PC exports. The Korean Association of Science and Technology in Japan (????????????, ????????????) was raided on Tuesday, according to local media reports. Police were investigating a possible link between the group and Lee Soon…
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Japan indicts two over PC exports to North Korea
Japanese prosecutors have indicted two people over alleged exports of personal computers to North Korea, Kyodo news agency reported Wednesday. The two are accused of exporting 8.2 million yen (US$108,000) worth of computers from Japan in violation of the Japanese government’s trade sanctions. Japan has imposed a complete ban on exports to North Korea since…
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What’s wrong with these pictures?
North Korea’s state news agency published a couple of images on January 4th that appear to show Pyongyang factory workers checking or testing laptop computers. But a closer look reveals something odd about the pictures. The images were published with a brief caption that claimed: “Employees of the Electronics Corporation under the Ministry of Electronics…
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Pyongyang mourning at Hana Electronics
Hana Electronics and the Hana Music Information Center, one of the last places reported to have been visited by Kim Jong Il before his death, was one of the locations used on Thursday to mourn his passing. State TV pictures showed a crowd that appeared to be at least in the thousands standing outside the building…
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National Program Contest underway in Pyongyang
The annual National Program Contest began on Thursday in Pyongyang, according to North Korean media reports. The event, which typically takes place in late October each year, opened at the city’s Three Revolution Exhibition Hall with speeches led by Ro Tu Chol, vice-premier of the DPRK Cabinet. The contest brings together scientists, programmers and students with…
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North Korea’s character set
A couple of months ago I wrote about the ways North Korean websites show respect to Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il by increasing the font size when writing their names. In a reply to that article, a reader mentioned North Korea’s official character set: the country’s official list of Hangul and other characters…
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Kim Jong Il visits ‘LCD TV factory’
North Korean state media has reported on a visit by Kim Jong Il to the “May 11 Factory,” which it described as “a modern scientific research and production center which researches and develops varieties of electronic goods including liquid crystal display TV sets.” The KCNA report mentioned the LCD televisions several times and was accompanied…
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Philippines donates computers to Pyongyang school
The Philippines donated a laptop PC, a desktop computer and a printer to a school in Pyongyang last week, the country’s Department of Foreign Affairs said Wednesday. The gift was handed to Pyongyang Kaeson Middle School by Philippines Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Policy Erlinda F. Basilio. She was in in Pyongyang for scheduled talks with…
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IPhone app takes users inside North Korea
Fotopedia North Korea is a new iPhone and iPad app that takes users on a tour of North Korea through the photographs of Eric Lafforgue. Lafforgue says he visited the DPRK four times between 2008 and 2010 to snap the more than 1,000 images available in the application. The photos cover the culture, sights, scenes,…
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Kim Jong Il on tour in China
Kim Jong Il’s tour of China at the end of May saw the North Korean leader take in several high-tech factories and companies. China Central Television (CCTV) broadcast a comprehensive report on the visit (aired after Kim had left Beijing) and provided details on some of the tour stops. They included Yangzhou Smart Valley, the…
