North Korea launches smartphone for citizens
North Korea has unveiled what it calls its first domestically-made smartphone, but the new Android device may be less than it seems.
News agencies in Pyongyang are hailing the phone, which has earned President Kim Jong-un’s approval. Named the ‘Arirang’, it is complete with touch screen, high-pixel camera, and a unique set of apps for North Koreans only.
The official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that the president was happy with the phone, praising its Korean-centric applications, convenience and most important – security.
The country might be almost totally isolated from the rest of the world, but it is not unaware of the IT revolution that has been happening in the last few decades. North Korea has its own intranet, featuring several state government websites and state-approved news services for citizens to enjoy. Access to the ‘full internet’ is limited to the highest members of government, estimated at less than a thousand people.
The KCNA reports surrounding the launch of the phone show factory workers with the finished phones, inspecting, testing and packing them. There are no pictures of an actual assembly line. The phones are probably made to order by a Chinese manufacturer and shipped to the factory for inspection before sale, according to the North Korea Tech website.
The device may have been prompted by widespread global speculation earlier this year, after Kim Jong-Un was pictured with what is now believed to be a smartphone made by HTC.