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Jonsung smartphones still yet to appear
North Korea’s newest smartphone brand appears to have stumbled. In late 2019, Jonsung Economy & Technology Exchange Company (전승경제기술교류사) made a splash at the 15th Pyongyang Autumn International Trade Fair with a large advertisement showcasing its Samthaesong (삼태성) smartphone. But now, almost two years later, that same smartphone is said to be still under development.…
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5G at the Chinese border?
The Daily NK reported this week that said North Korea is planning to install a 5G wireless network along its northern border with China. The network will link security cameras and aid the authorities in their monitoring of the border. The information comes from an unnamed source in the country, who said that installation of…
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Is North Korea finally getting 4G?
It’s been 12 years since Koryolink began cellular service in North Korea. As the world begins moving to 5G, North Korean customers are still stuck on 3G technology, but that might be about to change. At the just-concluded 8th Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea, Kim Jong Un told delegates that the telecommunications sector…
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A new smartphone from an unknown company
North Korea’s latest smartphone is the Kimtongmu (길동무), state-run Arirang Meari reported on Monday. The name can be translated to “companion,” which almost perfectly describes the relationship between almost any person and their smartphone these days. Few details about the device were included in the report although it did carry a photo of the phone.…
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North Korea’s Koryolink: Built for Surveillance and Control
Internal meeting minutes reveal that state surveillance was the North Korean government’s top priority when designing the Koryolink mobile network in 2008.
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The origins of the Pyongyang 2423 smartphone
[UPDATE: After publishing this article, I learned of the manufacturer of the Pyongyang 2423 smartphone. The article has been updated to include that and additional information.] The Daily NK website recently published photos and details of the Pyongyang 2423 (평양2423) smartphone, which reportedly went on sale in North Korea in the fourth quarter of 2018.…
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North Korea’s WiFi story: the “Mirae” is today
Korean Central Television recently broadcast footage of people using a tablet PC to access the national intranet via an outdoor data service in Pyongyang.
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Orascom gets UN exemption to operate North Korean cellular network
Egypt’s Orascom Investment Holding has received an exemption from the United Nations to continue operating Koryolink, its North Korean cellular network, it said Monday. The ability of Orascom to continue as a partner in the network has been in doubt since U.N. Security Council sanctions last year banned foreign companies from establishing or running commercial…
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North Korea’s newest smartphone might be made in China
Update: The Chinese electronics company identified in this report has subsequently confirmed they are producing this on behalf of Phurunhanul Electronics. North Korea’s Phurunhanul Electronics (푸른하늘), one of the country’s leading consumer electronics brand, has launched a new smartphone, the Phurunhanul H1. The phone was apparently developed by the company after examining existing phones on the domestic…
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Arirang 171 smartphone unveiled
North Korea’s latest smartphone is the Arirang 171 (아리랑171), the latest in a line of phones to carry the Arirang name and the most powerful to date. Technical details of the phone were revealed in a video posted by DPRK Today, a North Korean-linked website, but the one thing I really want to know wasn’t…