A smartphone recently smuggled out of North Korea has come under scrutiny due to its unique features designed to uphold the regime led by Kim Jong Un. The device was extracted by a Seoul-based media organization, NK, and although it appears to be a standard smartphone, an investigation by the BBC has unveiled its distinct characteristics that support North Korean propaganda. One of the most striking aspects of this device is its auto-correct feature, which has been manipulated to erase South Korean terms and replace them with North Korean equivalents.
For example, typing “South Korea” prompts the device to change it to “puppet state.” Similarly, the term “oppa,” which means older brother in North Korea, is replaced with “Comrade,” reinforcing the Communist ideology. This auto-correct feature is enforced in accordance with recent laws declaring it a crime to use South Korean language or accents in North Korea.
According to Martyn Williams, a technology expert at the Stimson Center, smartphones in North Korea play a crucial role in indoctrinating citizens. The phone’s capabilities reflect strict governmental control over language and communication, illustrating how technology can be wielded as a tool for ideological reinforcement. In addition to its controversial software, the phone is designed with hardware typical of modern smartphones.
It features a curved screen, a punch-hole front-facing camera, and uses a modified version of the Android platform. Devices like this rely on components sourced from China and Taiwan, with storage options ranging from 32GB to 128GB and RAM capacities of up to 4GB. While the specifics of the smuggled smartphone remain largely unknown, it highlights the intricate relationship between technology and politics in North Korea, as well as the country’s efforts to control the information its citizens receive.