BBC journalists shown on video a smartphone smuggled out of North Korea by Seoul’s Daily NK — a rare (and somewhat disturbing) look at modern devices from a dystopian reality.
Although the video does not identify the brand or model, the design and interface of the smartphone are clear, according to TechSpot, the devices look very similar to Huawei or Honor devices. It is not known whether the companies have official sales in the DPRK, but if they do, they are probably configured exclusively with government-approved software.
When the phone is turned on, it displays an animated North Korean flag, while text entry involves censoring certain words: for example, if you enter a South Korean term meaning «big brother» or «boyfriend», the phone automatically changes it to «comrade»; another interesting change was found when you typed «South Korea», which the phone automatically changed to «puppet state».
Another interesting point is that the phone took screenshots every 5 minutes of use and stored them in a secret folder that ordinary users do not have access to. The BBC suggests that the authorities can view them to monitor user activity.
We can only guess about the use of smartphones in North Korea from rumors and testimonies of fugitives. Media reports say that mobile devices have increased in number recently, along with government requirements that include a ban on their connection to the global Internet and increased government surveillance. The country allegedly has so-called «youth repression squads» that stop young people on the streets to check their phones and correspondence.
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