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‘North Korean’ robot mop debuts, but it looks familiar
North Korea’s Arirang Meari website introduced on Thursday a robot mop that it says was developed by a domestic company, but it bears a remarkable resemblance to a model by U.S.-based iRobot. Most North Korean consumer electronics isn’t developed or manufactured in the country but bought from Chinese contract electronics manufacturers. A North Korean brand…
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Robot expo opens in Pyongyang
The “National Exhibition of Sci-Tech Achievements in the Field of Robot” (전국로보트부문 과학기술성과전시회) opened at the Sci-Tech Center in Pyongyang on Tuesday, according to state media. The event appears to be a new one, having no mention previously under this name, but is the latest in a string of exhibitions of sci-tech achievements. Some have…
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South Korea adjusts some radio frequencies to escape jamming
Two radio stations operated by South Korea’s National Intelligence Service have slightly moved some of their broadcast frequencies to escape North Korean jamming. The stations, Voice of the People and Echo of Hope, are on the air daily broadcasting a constant stream of news and information to an audience in North Korea. For years the…
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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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Moranbong motion-based video games system
North Korea appears to have developed its own version of the Nintendo Wii. The Moranbong games console comes with a couple of motion-sensitive controllers and a sensor bar that includes a camera. It was briefly detailed by the state-run Arirang Meari website on Monday with a few small images of the device. Through the console,…
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Hundreds of North Korea IT workers abroad earning money for missile, nuclear program, says UN report
North Korea is raising money for its missile and nuclear programs by conducting cybercrime and syphoning the wages of North Korean computer engineers doing legitimate work overseas, according to a new report by the United Nations Panel of Experts on the DPRK. Details of the report, which was published on Thursday, were leaked in advance…
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The high price of KCTV in Seoul
The launch of 5G cellular networks in Seoul presented media outlets in the city with a problem: the frequencies used by the phone network overlap with a portion of the C-band satellite spectrum that includes a relay of Korean Central Television on the Thaicom-5 satellite. The phone signals are much stronger than the weak satellite…
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Chinese high-tech products on show in Pyongyang
A new exhibition of Chinese high-tech products opened in Pyongyang on Monday, according to state media. The “International High-Tech Product Trade Fair” appears to be a new event having not been mentioned in state media under that name in previous years. The event is apparently being held in part to mark the 70th anniversary of…
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North Korea denies it raised billions through cybercrime
Before it is even published, North Korea has come out swinging against an upcoming report by the United Nations Security Council’s Panel of Experts on North Korea. The report, which is expected to be published on September 6, alleges the country has generated about $2 billion from cybercrime and funneled the money into its weapons…
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Drone images used in state media coverage of missile test
When North Korean media reported on the August 24 launch of missiles it included something we hadn’t seen before: drone photos. Until now all photos of North Korean launches have been taken at ground level but this time among the package released by KCNA were several taken from the air. And in images of Kim…
