North Korea Launches New Civilian Satellite Push
North Korea appears to have launched a broad project to develop civilian satellite technology and will meet quarterly to assess its progress. The project was disclosed last week when state…
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North Korea’s Anti-Epidemic Robot
A North Korean company has produced a robot for epidemic prevention. The device is advertised in the latest Foreign Trade magazine and is essentially an Android tablet with attached sensors…
Russian citizen charged over exports to North Korea
The U.S. Government has indicted a Russian citizen over exports of sensitive technology to North Korea. Ilya Balakaev is chief executive officer of Radiotester LLC, a Moscow-based company that repairs…
What to make of the “North Korean Life” TikTok channel
A new social media account purporting to be from North Korea almost certainly isn’t. The “North Korean Life” channel appeared on TikTok over the weekend and quickly amassed 121,000 followers….
New Android OS delayed in North Korea, says report
North Korean authorities have delayed a roll-out of a new operating system for Android smartphones.
North Korean TV Coverage of the World Cup
North Korean viewers are getting pretty fast coverage of World Cup matches on Korean Central Television. The broadcaster is airing most games on a one- or two-day delay, which is…
Google at the Grand People’s Study House
The availability of Internet access at the Grand People’s Study House in Pyongyang has been known for many years. Tourists to the site have reported seeing it many times and…
An expansion of KCTV broadcasting hours
Korean Central Television is so far sticking with an expansion of broadcasting hours that started when the country declared a national Covid emergency in mid May.
North Korea’s online IT exhibitions
North Korea has taken many science and technology events online as a response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The country typically hosts numerous technology conferences each year to showcase developments and…
KCTV production of the New Year’s Eve event
The annual New Year’s Eve event in Pyongyang is one of the only times each year that Korean Central Television broadcasts live. The event consists of a concert in Kim…
North Korea Intensifies War Against Foreign Influence
(This article first appeared on 38North) In early December 2020, a plenary meeting of North Korea’s Supreme People’s Assembly (SPA), its highest legislative body, approved several new laws, including one…
Pyongyang Hotel international call rates
Calling overseas from a hotel room is never a cheap experience, especially so in North Korea. A guide to the Pyongyang Hotel published in late 2021 provides an updated look…
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…
The Olympics are back on KCTV
North Korean television began televising competition from the recently-concluded Tokyo Olympics last week. Korean Central Television launched coverage in its late afternoon sports slot between 4pm and 5pm on Tuesday,…
Kim Il Sung University researchers invent a robot vacuum cleaner
Engineers at Kim Il Sung University have developed a robot vacuum cleaner, according to a submission to a North Korean journal of inventions. The robot is not pictured but sounds…
Korean-language broadcasting in China
In several regions along North Korea’s northern border with China, Korean-language programming from Chinese broadcasters is available on television and radio. Unlike programming such as Voice of America, Radio Free…
Pegasus-style surveillance is everyday life in North Korea
In the last couple of days, the Pegasus spyware and its targeted use on smartphones used by journalists, politicians and activists has come to light. The software, developed by Israel’s…
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…
Smartcard login for distance education
The distance education system run by Kim Il Sung University was the subject of a short report on Korean Central Television on Tuesday evening and we got to see a…
Researchers developed dynamic traffic control system
Researchers at Kangson University of Industrial Technology have developed a system to automate control of traffic lights based on traffic volume. Their work is another sign of increasing road traffic…
Voice of Korea summer 2020 schedule
It’s been a while since I posted the shortwave schedule for Voice of Korea (조선의소리), North Korea’s international shortwave broadcasting station. The station continues to broadcast just as it always…
North Korean university links with foreign lecturers for live Internet seminars
Singapore-based Choson Exchange recently concluded a series of seminars with a university in Pyongyang that included two sessions conducted live over the Internet. The seminars are believed to be among the…
New Life for the Third Network
When hundreds of houses and apartments were completed last year, North Korean media showed residents entering their new homes, welcomed with a pile of household goods. On the wall of…
